Battle of the Roses
by wisegirl502
Summary: In the new chapter of Arya and Ren's lives, they begin thinking it will be clear sailing now that the Keepers are gone. But when an explosion rips the pack in half and a murder causes another member to run away, it leaves the Laroche pack devastated and torn.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey y'all- long time no see for this book :) I've decided to write a sequel and I hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Every day is like a battle."  
**_**~New Romantics**_**, Taylor Swift**

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Chapter 1

**Arya**

War is a part of life, whether it's on a battlefield or in your home. You can fight for anything with war: love, freedom, power, money. The list is endless. In my life, war has been necessary. I was a soldier, fighting for my masters, the Keepers, so they could keep their power and money. Then I fought for my freedom and won. Without the Searchers, that victory wouldn't have been possible. Finally I fought for love when my old Keeper nearly took my fiancé away from me.

My name is Arya Laroche, and these wars I fought happened only five years ago. Now I live happily in Estes Park with my husband Ren, my five children- Hunter, Caleb, Ember, Elsa, and Anna- and the rest of my pack. Half of us lived on one side of Estes Park, on the north side. The other half lived on the south side. We decided it would be easier to keep track of everything going on that way.

Carrie and Melinda each had two kids. Reyna, Casey and Erin all had one with Erin being pregnant with her second. Taki was pregnant with her first, due any day. Nancy was the only who wasn't with child. She didn't mind and ne neither did her husband Derek. They weren't ready to have kids and that was completely understandable. Ren and I, on the other hand, just couldn't wait to get started…

"Hunter! Caleb! Stop fighting!" I ordered when I saw my two sons gnashing their teeth at each other. We had a problem with them. Both were alpha material and even though Hunter and Caleb were only about a year apart, respectively five and four, they already were trying to decide who would lead the pack. Ren and I had discussed splitting the pack up so both could be alphas, one leading the north side and one leading the south. However, we decided to wait for a while until we made a final decision on that.

I turned around when Elsa started crying, holding her arm. She had teeth marks on it. I looked over at Ember who was laughing until she saw me glaring at her. My daughter cowered. As I consoled my daughter over her wound, an explosion went off in the background. I whirled around. Pillars of black smoke rose up and a cold feeling settled into my stomach.

"Erin, Nancy, Taki, take the kids back to the compound!" I ordered. Carrie, Melinda, Reyna, Casey, you're with me!"

The five of us shifted into wolf form and darted over to the south compound.

_Ren! Are you okay?_ I asked my husband.

_I'm fine. I'm heading over there now with the boys. Are you okay?_ He replied instantly.

_I'm fine, just worried. I'll see you there._

_Stay safe._

It took us ten minutes to get to the location. The smell of smoke was overwhelming but there was something else, something more sinister in the air. I couldn't tell what it was though.

"Arya!" My husband shouted at me. I changed forms but kept running. The girls had fallen behind me as I rounded the bend.

* * *

**Ren**

I lost sight of my wife for one second when she rounded that bend. I shouted for her to wait up but naturally, she didn't. I found my wife frozen in place in front of the burning houses.

"Oh my god," I said. The houses were engulfed by malignant orange flames. Thick black smoke poured out from the places where doors and windows used to be. The thing was, the fire wasn't the scariest thing. I hadn't seen it until my wife let out an agonizing scream. My vision swam, unwilling to believe what was happening. Twenty-three heads on spikes, thirteen adults and ten children, displayed for the whole world to see. Arya began to run up to them but I grabbed onto her. My wife sobbed in my arms.

"Shiloh, call Erin and tell her to get everyone out of the compound in case whoever did this to them is trying to do it to our compound," I ordered. Shiloh nodded and tearing his eyes away from the gruesome sight, made the call. A few seconds later, he hung up.

"They've taken the kids to the Stanley. They're bunking in the main building right now. They have rooms for all of us. The police have sent a bomb squad out to our houses to make sure it's safe to go back to. They're heading here now," Shiloh informed. After he finished saying that, police, ambulances, and fire trucks pulled up to the scene. The firefighters worked quickly to put out the flames but I knew nothing would be salvageable of this.

"Sir, may I speak with you?" a police officer asked gently.

"Yes," I replied in as steady of a voice I could manage.

"Were you here when the explosion happened?"

"No. I was back at my compound with a few others. My wife and some of our pack were at the park with the kids. We both heard it though. They were… they were our family."

"I'm very sorry that you must go through this. May I have your number in case I need to ask you any more questions?"

"If you need us, we'll be at the Stanley Hotel. That's where we're staying until the bomb squad deems our house safe to return to." I stood up, gently bringing Arya to her feet.

"Ren… our pack…" she breathed.

"I know. I know…" I felt tears streaming down my face. Shiloh came over to us and whispered that the car was here to take us to the hotel. I lifted my wife in my arms and carried her to the ride. We were silent the entire way. Carrie, Melinda, Reyna, and Casey were all crying. Loren, Shiloh, Dean, and Sam were all crying as well, not holding anything back.

When we arrived at the hotel, we quickly filed in, not wanting anyone to get a look at our tear-streaked faces. At least not the paparazzi. They always had been too interested in our affairs. We didn't want them getting too good of pictures.

The rest of our pack was huddled together in the room they'd booked for me and Arya. The kids were playing in a corner, oblivious to what had just happened. All but Caleb who seemed to pick up on his mother's distress almost instantaneously. He ran over to her and hugged her leg.

"Everything okay mommy?" he asked.

Arya managed a smile. "It is now that I know you and the others are safe."

"Where's the rest of the pack?" Hunter inquired, coming up to us. The other kids were following their lead, staring at us with curious eyes. Arya picked up Caleb. I sat down and let Hunter, Anna, and Elsa sit in my lap. Ember went to her mother.

My wife's eyes glowed with a fury I hadn't seen since she attacked Lumine when that wench had tried to kill me. Arya cleared her throat. "There's no easy way to put this but we have just lost half our pack. This was not a random attack. It was calculated and done in cold blood. I don't know who did this, why they did this, or why they chose us, but I'm going to find out. I'm going to kill them. Whoever did this, I'm declaring war on them. And they better be ready. Tonight, we will celebrate the beautiful souls of our family: Ray and Irene Flinn, Austin Gardner, Walter and Mia Mendel, Amy and Dmitri Ferguson, Michael and Katrina Jackson, Tony and Leyla Parker, and their children: Troy Flinn, Harley Flinn, Mary, Flinn, Jane Mendel, Fiona Mendel, Neil Ferguson, Ryan Jackson, Barry Jackson, Allen Parker, and Georgina Parker."

"Did they leave us?" Caleb piped up.

"No. They were taken from us sweetie."

"But they're coming back, right?" Hunter asked.

"I wish they were, but they can't." Arya knelt down and looked at her sons. "Your father and I, your aunts and uncles, we're going to find out who did this, and we're going to bring them to justice."

"You'll be safe here," I added. "We're going to have your grandparents watch you."

"Don't leave mommy, don't leave!" Caleb begged, tightening his grip around Arya's neck.

"If I don't, the people that killed our pack, they'll come after us again, and I can't let anything else happen to any of you."

"But-but what if you don't come back?"

"I will come back. I promise."

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**Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Short I know but still :) Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**It was about sacrifice and redemption, loss that could have new meaning."  
****~Calla Tor**

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Chapter 2

**Arya**

**8 years later…**

My kids were growing up so fast. It seemed surreal to me. Only yesterday it felt like I was having Hunter. He was thirteen now, Caleb twelve, Ember ten, and Elsa and Anna nine. Shiloh and Carrie's two kids, Josilyn and Noah, were nine and thirteen respectively. Loren and Melinda's kids, Riley and Gracie, were eleven and twelve. Rigg and Erin had three kids: Dmitri was twelve, Sebastian was six, and Laurel was seven. Frank and Taki only had one child, a daughter named Akira. She was seven and while she wasn't the youngest, her disposition made her the omega of the pack. Dean and Reyna had two boys named Jake and Oliver who were ten and nine. Finally were Sam and Casey who had three kids: Diana who was twelve, Thea who was nine, and Barry who was seven. In total there were eighteen kids and they kept us very busy. Some of the kids, two of mine included, were already in middle school and it was hard to believe that much time had passed.

It was the weekend and we were all getting ready for our hunt. We typically split into two groups, changing them up every week. We made sure everyone could work together. The only exception we made was for Josilyn. She had a heart condition that made her weaker than the rest of us. She had a harder time keeping up with us, and she didn't like killing animals. In reality she just tagged along because we didn't like leaving her by herself.

This time Caleb and Anna were staying behind. Anna had contracted the flu and was horribly ill. Caleb had a project due on Monday so he convinced me to let him stay behind and work on it. He'd known about it for weeks but had procrastinated for most of that time, but I still let him stay. I kissed my children on the head and told them to howl if they needed me. I felt safe leaving them. After the attack on the other half of our pack, Ren and I went out for blood. We found the people who committed the treacherous attack. They were former Keeper children, upset over our ability to maintain switching between human and wolf form. We'd killed them and made sure there were no others. My kids would be safe, I was sure of it.

"All right Caleb, we should be back within an hour two. Make sure Anna takes her medicine. She hates it but she needs to have it. No more procrastinating on that project of yours. Stay down here while you work on it so you can watch your sister. I love you very much," I said, giving him a hug.

"I love you too mom," he replied. I gave my daughter a hug as well, telling her to get some rest. Elsa gave her sister a kiss on the cheek and told her she'd be right back and that they could eat ice cream afterwards. I didn't have the heart to tell them that we didn't have any ice cream in the freezer at the moment.

Ren called for Hunter to hurry. My oldest son came charging down the stairs, jumping over the last five. Caleb high-fived him as I stared disapprovingly at him.

"You're going to break something," I said.

"I'm a Guardian. I heal fast," my son answered with a devilish grin.

"You're going to make a wonderful second," Caleb said.

"What do you mean I'm going to make a 'wonderful second'? I'm going to be the alpha!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Boys!" I intervened in exasperation. "Enough. It's still undecided on who is to be alpha."

"But we all know it's going to be me," Hunter said.

"Keep dreaming big brother. It's going to be me," Caleb retorted.

I groaned and urged Hunter to get going. With a final wave goodbye, I left Caleb and Anna and headed down the mountain with my pack. Josilyn was in our group today. I ordered Hunter to keep an eye on her. He didn't mind. He had a crush on her but refused to let anyone but me and his father know. Shiloh and Carrie knew but they kept quiet. I didn't want my son getting the relentless teasing by his siblings about having a crush just yet, and I don't know how Josilyn would handle all the attention. She didn't focus on much else besides school and her new garden that she was starting. The girl loved flowers, something she and I bonded over. I still remember how I always kept flowers in my room to keep Lumine out…

_There's a pack of deer about two miles out. By the smell of it, it's a big pack_. Loren informed.

_Take Elsa and scout ahead. Spot the two weakest links. We have a lot of mouths to feed._ I commanded. Loren and my daughter trotted silently off into the woods. Of the pack, they were the stealthiest. Anna was stealthy too and if she had been here, I would've sent her with her sister. I can't count the number of times the twins have snuck downstairs and raided the pantry for midnight snacks. Whenever Hunter, Caleb, or Ember tried, Ren or I always caught them, but not the twins. They were supernaturally stealthy.

The rest of my group and I frolicked in the woods as we made our way towards the deer herd. We'd only gone about a mile from our compound when the first feeling of uneasiness settled into me. Something was wrong but I couldn't place what. I contacted Elsa and Loren. Both of them stated they were fine. I sniffed the air to see if there was an unfamiliar scent that was bothering me, but no, nothing reached me. Finally, I contacted Ren to see if he and his group were okay. He replied they were but that he was getting the same feeling as I was, that something was off. Suddenly terror ripped through me. I stumbled backwards as I heard screaming in my head.

_Mom! Dad! Help us! Please!_

Caleb…

I tore away from my pack, barking at Melinda to get the pack together and to rendezvous back at the big boulder about two hundred yards from the compound. She thankfully didn't ask questions. As I raced to the compound, Ren met me halfway, falling into stride with me. We leapt over fallen trees, dodged obstacles, and made it back to the compound in record time. I could hear screaming from inside. Ren opened the door and if it hadn't been for the adrenaline coursing through me, I may have fainted. Blood was spattered on the walls, furniture was ripped open, and three men with crossbows were stalking towards someone huddled in the corner. I hadn't bothered to shift forms like my husband so I launched myself at the closest intruder, my jaw clamping down on his neck. He went down before he knew what happened. The other two whirled around, firing arrows at me but I jerked out of the way. Ren had gotten behind them and snapped down on one man's leg. The guy yelled out in pain. While my husband fought his target, I took on the last one. He was by far the strongest of the group. I bared my teeth, growling at him, backing away so that he'd follow me and get away from his friend who was starting to fight back against Ren.

"You're going to die like your daughter, bitch. Screaming for mercy," the guy snarled, pulling out a machete from his scabbard. I shifted into a human and demanded, "Where's my daughter?!"

"Dead. Don't worry. You're going to join her soon." He swung his sword at me. I ducked out of the way and kicked his feet out from underneath him. Ren appeared out of nowhere and bit cleanly through the man's hand that held the weapon. I jumped onto him, pinning him to the ground.

"Where is my daughter you son of a bitch?" I screamed, pulling him up to my face by his shirt. The man only grinned maliciously before popping a pill. When he crunched down on it, the stench of cyanide wafted into my nose. "Coward!"

I let his dead body thud to the floor as I scrambled over to the person huddling in the corner. Bolts from the crossbow were embedded in my unconscious son's body, two in his legs and one in his arm. He'd turned a deathly shade of white but his heart was beating, if only weakly.

"The bolts are laced with wolfsbane. We need to get them out of him," Ren said hurriedly. He pulled our son into his arms. I grabbed the first crossbow bolt, counted to three, and yanked it out of Caleb's arm. With shaking hands, I followed suit with the two in his leg. I made a cut in my arm and put it to my son's mouth, praying that some of my blood would get into his system and start healing him.

"What the- what happened here?" Loren's voice asked shakily. Shiloh stood behind him, ashen.

"A group of men attacked Caleb and Anna," Ren answered. "We don't know where Anna is. We need to find her but we can't leave Caleb. He needs a lot of blood."

"Why don't Shiloh and I go look for her?"

"No. I'll go. She's my daughter. Shiloh, come with me. Loren, help Arya. Like I said, Caleb needs more blood and since you're bigger than all of us…"

"Go. I'll stay here. Before you go, make sure no one comes in this house. I don't want anyone knowing what happened until we know what happened to Anna for sure," I said. The seconds nodded. Ren gave me a kiss, kissed our son on the head, and left the house. Loren sat next to me as I cradled Caleb in my arms. Color was slowly beginning to return to his face but I was losing a lot of strength already.

"Arya, what are you and Ren not telling us?" Loren asked gently.

I bit my lip. "The man right there, the one with the missing hand, he said… he said Anna was d-dead and I don't… I can't believe him. Loren, I can't… How am I going to tell Elsa her sister, her partner in crime, is dead? And this pack can't take another murder. First half of our pack was destroyed and now Anna…" I didn't realize I was crying until Loren pulled me into a hug and I felt his shirt getting wetter.

"Elsa is you. She is strong and she will survive. She won't be the same for a long time, but time heals and she will come back stronger than ever. Just like you did when you lost us. Just like you did when you nearly lost Ren. Just like you did when the Keepers destroyed half our pack," Loren whispered. "And she will have her family. One needs family to survive in our world, and lucky for her, she has thirty family members at her disposal if she needs someone to talk to."

"Mom?" Caleb croaked. I hurriedly pulled away from Loren. Relief surged through me when I saw Caleb's eyes open, if only barely.

"Hi sweetie. You're okay, you're going to be okay. We're going to get you more blood to counteract the wolfsbane in your system," I promised, stroking his head.

"Anna… she-"

"Your dad's out looking for her."

"N-no, he won't find her. She's dead… I saw them… they cut her thr- I got her killed. Mom I got Anna killed!" Caleb cried.

"No, no, no. You didn't get her killed. Those men that attacked you, they are the sole reason why you and Anna got attacked and hurt and-"

_Arya…_ Ren's voice entered my head. His tone was off. While I knew what was coming, I still couldn't contain the sob that escaped me when my husband confirmed Anna was dead. He found her body, burned, at the end of the driveway. I didn't question why the men burned her body. I didn't want to know. I pulled Caleb into a hug, gripping him tightly. I was devastated by Anna and it was going to take me years to get to a semi-normal place again in my life, but I also reminded myself I could've lost two children. I could've lost Caleb as well.

While Caleb cried into my shoulder, I cried into Loren's. At some point, Ren replaced his second and I continued to cry into my husband's shoulder.

"Shiloh are going to announce to the pack what happened. Loren is going to tell Elsa separately. I think it best she's alone when she finds out. Let's get Caleb upstairs so he can rest, okay?" Ren said shakily. I pulled away from him. Through my tears, I saw my husband was barely keeping his composure. I knew he was doing it for my sake and for the pack's but I couldn't comprehend how he was doing it. Ren took Caleb out of my arms. I pushed myself up and followed him upstairs. We helped Caleb into pajamas before letting him fall asleep.

After quietly shutting the door to our son's room, my husband looked at me and said, "I didn't want to show weakness in front of my son…" and with that, Ren broke down.

* * *

**Seems like the Laroche's just can't catch a break. Review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just trying to get this story in gear because there's so much that's going to happen and I can't wait to write about when they're older and just UGH it's exciting for me. Okay, enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**I'm too honest to be positive."**

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Chapter 3

**Two years later…**

**Caleb**

"Hello?" I looked up from my computer to see who the quiet voice belonged to, although I had a pretty good idea of whom it was. Sure enough, it was Josilyn standing shyly in the doorway that led to the backyard.

"Hey Josie, what's up?" I asked.

"I was wondering if you've seen Hunter. I need help on my math homework and he offered to help me once. Is he around?"

"Yeah, he's upstairs. Just go on up."

"Are you sure?" she queried. I smiled. Josilyn was the most innocent in the pack, possibly the most caring if you didn't count Elsa.

"I'm positive. My brother and I may not be on the same page anymore but I still know him more than he likes to admit. You're fine. Go." Josie smiled and padded up the stairs. A few seconds later Noah came in.

"Hey man," he greeted me, going to our fridge and pulling out a Diet Coke. "What're you doing?"

"Homework. You going to see Ember? Have her help you with history again?"

"I don't like what you're insinuating there because first off, no, I'm not here to see her, and second, Hunter would kill me if I had a thing for Em."

"First off, then who are you here to see? Second, my brother would not kill you."

"I'm here to see you. Heard about the argument between you and Hunter," Noah remarked, sipping his drink and leaning against the counter in front of me.

"Who told you?"

"Ember. She said it was one of the worst. What happened?"

"The usual. He blames me for Anna's death, I should've protected her better… stuff I've already thought about. Mom broke us apart when we started getting physical," I replied as nonchalantly as I could. Hunter's words bothered me, but if I had any chance of being alpha, I couldn't let anyone know that what he was saying was getting under my skin.

Noah shook his head. "This isn't good Caleb. And that wasn't your fault and he knows it. He still misses her, and it doesn't help that he was so close with her. He's taking his anger out on you when he shouldn't. He's just being a jerk brother."

"It's been two years. It's more than being a jerk brother."

"He's trying to get under your skin, give off that 'tough alpha' persona."

"He's doing splendidly," I said. With a sigh, I added, "He's my brother so it hurts coming from him more than most. Listen, I need to get back to doing my homework. Elsa and I are going on a hunt later. Ember and Hunter are going as a pair too. Want to join?"

"Yeah. I'll join you two this time since I was with Hunter last. One of you is going to be alpha and since I'll obviously be the second, I need to practice serving under both of you."

"I feel like I should choose someone else for my beta role for the sheer fact that you're so cocky about this," I joked.

"Shut up Laroche," Noah laughed. He headed upstairs to see Ember despite what he said earlier in the conversation. I went back to doing my homework for science class. I was a freshman in high school now, and I was in biology. Science and math had always been my strong point. Hunter was good at math and English. Ember was good at science and history. Elsa was good at everything. After Anna's death, Elsa had thrown herself into school work along with her tae-kwon-do lessons. Her determination to learn how to defend herself made her a black belt in two years, faster than anyone else at the training center. They told her she could start teaching classes once she was old enough to work. My sister had changed. She'd grown up faster, and even after two years, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had caused her to become like she is now… I loved her all the same, and she still loved me. In fact, we were closer than ever, but I felt like I caused Elsa to grow up too fast.

Three hours later, I was done with my homework and called Elsa downstairs. Hunter, Josilyn, Ember, and Noah came down as well.

"You want to come hunt with us Josie?" Hunter inquired.

"No, I-I'll stay here. Tend to my roses. Um, could you help me later? I need to dig holes for some new rose bushes," she answered.

"I'll help. Right after the hunt, okay?"

Josilyn nodded before leaving our house.

"Okay, so me, Ember, and Noah, and then Elsa and Caleb?" my brother suggested.

"I'm going to join Caleb and Elsa today. I need to make sure I can work as second under either one of you," Noah piped up. Hunter nodded. The five of us left the house and shifted into wolves. I went for a dark grey today. Elsa went for white as she usually did. In the summer you could spot her easily, but come winter, even following her scent, she was damn near impossible to see. Hunter went for black. Noah was light grey, and Ember was black as well. We split up into our groups. We were hunting big today, deer or elk but probably the former. Elk were dangerous to hunt even in a big pack.

_So are Hunter and Josilyn a thing now or something? They've been hanging out a lot_. Noah commented.

_We'd know if they were. Hunter wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut about finally being with the girl he likes. But he's never had a girlfriend and Josilyn's too shy to tell him she likes him, so I think it'll be a while before anything happens between those two._ Elsa said.

_Can they just get together? I'm tired of seeing them get all doe-eyed around each other. Seriously, everyone else can see the major crush they have on each other. Why can't they?_

_Not everyone has the ability to realize someone likes them._

_Like how Thea likes Caleb?_

_She does not! _I protested.

_Oh my god, yes she does._ Elsa said, agreeing with Noah.

_I'm not interested even though she is very attractive._

_Why not? _Elsa prodded, putting her nose to the ground to get a scent.

_Because Riley likes her._

_So what if he likes her? You're going to be alpha. You can have whoever you want._ Elsa pointed out.

_Why are you so sure I'm going to be alpha?_

_Because mom and dad want someone level-headed as alpha, not temperamental like Hunter. I mean if he ends up dating Josilyn at some point, she'll get him to calm down somewhat and maybe he'll get better as he gets older, but mom wants you as alpha. I heard her say as much._

_What aren't you telling me?_

_They're… planning something else. Don't quote me on this. They got very hushed when speaking about it but I think they're planning to rebuild the southern compound._

Noah and I halted. Elsa stopped and stared. I shifted into human form. My comrades followed.

"They're planning to rebuild it?" I stated.

"Yeah. From what I understood, it's because mom and dad can't decide and they think both of you would be good. And considering our pack is pretty big with all the kids, they think it'd be easier to manage. Mom's worried that someone would try to attack it again though. But you can't tell anyone! We're not supposed to know!" my sister warned.

"I won't, it's just… wow." The three of us shifted back into wolf form and headed deeper into the woods.

_Up ahead. Big herd. _Elsa announced.

_I smell them. Okay, Elsa charge them from the north. Noah and I will come in at angles and get the weakest link. Ready?_

_Always!_ My sister darted off, not making a sound as she ran to the other side of the heard. I lost sight of her which set me on edge briefly. I didn't like not knowing where she was. Elsa was my baby sister. I wasn't going to lose her like I lost Anna…

However, a few minutes later, the deer herd scattered as a white wolf streaked after an elder deer. Noah and I charged, blocking off any escape the deer had. We took it down easily.

_Now the fun part is getting it back home._ Noah laughed.

_Go help Ember. She just told me she made Hunter leave so he could go help Josilyn with her garden. I don't want her by herself. She's about a mile west of here. _I ordered.

_Her knight in shining armor is coming!_ Noah bounded off. Elsa and I shifted.

"He does realize Ember doesn't need a prince in shining armor, and in fact, would probably end up having to rescue her own prince?" Elsa queried.

"He'll figure it out soon enough. Come on, let's get this back home." We started dragging the deer carcass back to the compound. I could tell my sister wanted to say something and rather than continue in an uncomfortable silence, I asked, "What's on your mind?"

"Are you okay? What Hunter said to you earlier was brutal," Elsa answered, looking at me.

I stopped walking. "Elsa, we've been through this. I can handle what he says. Sure it hurts but I'm used to it by now."

"That's horrible. You shouldn't be. You know I don't blame you though, right?"

"Yes, and that's all I care about. Come on, let's get home before- do you smell that?" I glanced around uneasily.

"Smell what?" My sister asked. I walked a few steps away to the area I thought the scent was coming from.

"I don't know. I can't place my finger on it. Or paw. Whatever the term Guardian's for that. Let's just hurry." I turned around before I could say a word, a mountain lion was on top of my sister, jaws about to clamp down on her neck. I didn't even shift as I barreled into the cat, simply wanting it off my sister. It hissed and growled at me as I rolled off, getting out of its swiping range. Those claws were nasty…

"Elsa, you okay?" I asked. When no response came from my sister, rage ripped through me. I was _not_ losing another sister. I'd die before that happened. Changing forms, I attacked the mountain lion. It was still disoriented from my previous attack so I had no problem giving it another injury. I danced around it, lunging, biting, and then jumping back. Soon the mountain lion tired, and with an angry glare at me, ran off into the woods. I made sure it was gone before turning to Elsa. She was waking as I knelt next to her. There were long gashes on cheeks and arms from the cat's claws.

"Elsa, are you okay? Please say something," I begged.

She groaned. "I'm fine. Are you?"

"Don't worry about me. Let's get you some blood and then get you home."

"How about we just get home? I don't want to be in the woods any longer in case that bloody cat comes back."

"But-"

"But nothing. Let's get home." Elsa attempted to stand up but she would've fallen over had I not caught her. Scooping her into my arms, I carried her back to the compound. Ember and Noah happened to be right behind us.

"What happened?!" Ember exclaimed, opening the door.

"Mountain lion. It attacked her from behind. I got it away from her. She needs blood now though. I'm going to go get mom and dad," I said.

"No need to. I smelled the blood," my mom announced, walking into the room with my dad at her heels. Looking at me, she added, "Caleb, go get some towels from the closet and run them under warm water. Ember get some antibacterial cream. It'll help the healing go faster."

My sister and I quickly followed our mom's instructions. You tend to do that when an alpha gives you an order. At that moment, Hunter came into the house. My mother tensed immediately, but she wasn't the only one. I felt myself getting nervous. I could feel a fight coming on.

"What happened?" he demanded when he laid eyes on Elsa.

My sister answered. "Caleb and I were attacked by a mountain lion. We had our backs to it. It came out of nowhere. If it wasn't for Caleb, I'd be dead. He got it away from me."

"Did you kill it?" Hunter asked, his blue eyes settling on me.

"No," I replied.

"Why the hell didn't you kill it? It's obviously a menace to us and anyone else that comes across it."

"Because I was more worried about getting Elsa home and fixed up," I snapped. "Or in case you didn't realize, she's bleeding."

"Don't get snarky with me. You're the reason Elsa is in this predicament!" He fired back.

"Says the guy who left Ember alone to drag the deer by herself," I retorted.

"She told me to go, and I made sure there was nothing that could harm her before I left! Why is it whenever something happens to Elsa, _you_ are always there at the scene?"

"Hunter, stop," my mother warned. My brother was too far gone in his anger though and so was I. I was done with being the thing he took his anger out on.

"What are you saying?" I inquired, taking a step towards him.

"What I've always said. I don't want to lose another sister because you couldn't protect them. Don't you think we've had enough death in the family? You're not fit to be alpha. An alpha protects their own. You can barely protect our sister, let alone an entire pack. You already let one member of this pack down."

"Oh shut up Hunter. It's been two years. I know I caused Anna's death and every time I close my eyes at night, I see those bastards killing her. I cause myself enough torment thinking about it and I don't need you damn well adding to it! I will never forgive myself for letting Anna get killed but for the love of god, would you stop reminding me about it!"

"Anna didn't deserve it! She was nine years old and not only that, but Elsa lost her best friend, her sister, her other half! Anna should've lived!"

"Don't you think I've thought of that? Anything you say, I've already thought it," I said.

My brother paused before, "It should've been you."

"Hunter!" Elsa and my mom shouted.

I ignored them. "You're right, it should've. I've thought that every day since it happened."

I turned around and headed upstairs. I heard my mother giving my brother a harsh scolding and while most of the time I would've enjoyed listening to my brother get in trouble, that wasn't happening today. I was too upset.

"Caleb!" Elsa called, running up the stairs. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just really want to be alone right now," I said.

"Don't listen to him. He's being an ass. I don't blame you, no one does except him and I don't understand and-"

"Elsa, listen, I appreciate the pep talk but I really want to be alone right now," I interrupted. My sister halted in her speech, staring at me with big blue eyes. She looked hurt but I didn't care. If that was what it took to get me some alone time, then that's what had to happen. Elsa looked about ready to say something else but she refrained and instead said, "I'll be downstairs if you want to hang out. I love you."

She walked back down and I entered my room, shutting the door. I went directly to the punching bag I had in the corner of my room. I took of my shirt and let my frustration out. Something had to change.

Something was going to change.

* * *

**Poor Caleb. Hope you enjoyed :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**So I'm posting this because SACarter FINALLY posted the chapter for **_**Secrets**_** I've been waiting for patiently (just kidding- I'm not patient at all for it). So you can thank you for this chapter :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**We could run away. I'd stay with you."**

* * *

Chapter 4

**Elsa**

Caleb was barely coming out of his room, causing me to become really worried. I voiced this to Ember but she simply dismissed it as saying he was simply still upset over what Hunter said. I couldn't believe my oldest brother had said that. I mean I know that Caleb was there when Anna had died, and I know he hadn't been able to save her, but I didn't blame him. He was only twelve when it happened! How was he supposed to win against three guys that were each three times his size?

I was hanging out in the living room when Caleb entered the room. He tensed slightly before he realized it was me.

"Hey Ice Princess," he greeted with a little smirk. That was his nickname for me. He was the only one I ever allowed to call me that. "What are you watching?"

"Something about World War II. What are you doing?" I asked as he plopped down next to me.

"Working, studying, the usual. Thought I'd come down and take a break, see what my little sis was doing."

"The usual. I have to head out later because I have class, but I think I'm going to quit soon. I've learned mostly everything I can. I just wanted to learn how to defend myself."

"I think you could kick any one of our asses," Caleb laughed.

"Who could kick our asses?" Ember queried, sliding into the room on her socks.

"Me and my martial arts training," I replied.

"Well you probably could. Maybe not dad or Loren or Shiloh, but everyone else? Oh yeah."

"What are you doing today?"

"Noah, Thea, Diana, Riley, Jake, and I are heading down to town. And by heading down I mean we're going to freak out some tourists because it's always fun to see their reactions. I know you can't join Elsa but what about you Caleb?"

"I'm in, but I'm probably going to make a quick trip to the store. I want some snacks and mom is going on one of her health sprees. I know it'll only last a week or two but I want food. Good, fattening food."

"No arguments there. Think you could pick up some ice cream for me?"

"Sure. I'm going to head back up and work but call me when you're heading out."

"Okey doke," Ember said.

"Do you think he's okay?" I questioned quietly after my brother had gone upstairs.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know… I just feel like I don't see him much anymore."

"Tell him."

"I don't want to be annoying."

"Caleb adores you Elsa. You're his baby sister. You're the baby sister for all of us. Even if something was bothering us, we probably wouldn't tell you."

"Excuse me?"

"We wouldn't want to trouble you. Besides, what on earth could possibly bother a Guardian? I mean other than psychos who want to kill us."

I loved how Ember always tried to bring humor, even the slightest, into a conversation that wasn't a cheerful topic. She always offered comedic relief and it helped. But she also knew the limits of when to say something and when not to say something so it wouldn't be offensive. I loved my sister.

Ember started to leave but turned around. "I thought of something else. Caleb's almost done with ninth grade. I bet you anything he's stressing about finals. Don't worry, all right Elsa?"

"I can't promise, but I'll try," I said.

"I know that's all I'll get out of you. See you later!" She darted up the stairs. Deciding I didn't want to be alone, I headed outside and into Josilyn's garden. If you wanted to find her, her garden was the first place to check. She was always there.

"Josie?" I called out.

"I'm at the gazebo!" she hollered back. I made my way over there. She was sitting on the hanging chair in the gazebo, reading a book. Josilyn smiled at me. "Hi!"

"Hey, what're you doing?"

"Reading. You?"

"Wanted someone to talk to. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she said, placing her book down.

"If you knew something was bothering Noah, what would you do?"

"I'd ask him."

"And if he lied saying nothing was wrong even though there obviously is something wrong?"

"I'd let him be, let him tell me in my own time. But you know me. I don't like any sort of confrontation. Why?"

"I'm worried about Caleb… he's been acting weird lately. I can't explain. I just know. Now, my second question: how are you feeling?"

"What do you mean?" Josie's guard was up instantly. She knew exactly what I was referring to, she just didn't want to admit it. It was a sensitive subject for her.

"Your heart. I heard it flutter. Is your medication still working?"

She bit her lip. "I think so. I've been tired more often lately, I get out of breath more easily with everyday tasks."

"Have you told your parents?"

"No… I don't want to cause a scene. Everyone panics when I show the slightest sign of being unwell."

"This is also your health we're talking about. No one cares if you make a scene." I sighed. "But I get it. If you don't want your parents to make a scene, talk to my mom. She'll handle it. I think your mom would understand. It's your dad who's always been the drama king of your family."

Josie laughed. Her father, Shiloh, was my mom's second. He was a big, buff, shorter than the other male adults (not by much), and stocky. He was pure strength and was the last person anyone wanted to mess with next to my father, mother, and Loren Hess. Loren was my father's second. He'd been my mother's at some point, but none of us really knew that story. My parents didn't delve into their past much with us.

"He worries about me more than he should. I'll take your advice and talk to your mom. But back to Caleb. Maybe he won't say what's wrong to you because he doesn't want to worry you. Maybe he'd tell someone he's not that close to? I can try. I'll bring him flowers to cheer him up too. What color does he like?" Josilyn got up and made her way to the red roses that encircled the gazebo.

"Uh, I think he'll take anything."

"I'll give him one of every color. I'll bring some for your mom too!" I let Josie do her work with the flowers. I couldn't be trusted around flowers. I had no green thumb whatsoever. Actually, the only green thumb in the family was Josilyn. No one knew where she got it from. My mom could keep flowers alive longer than most, but even she couldn't keep them alive like the Josie.

After ten minutes and two bundles of roses tied up with ribbon, the two of us headed back to my house. My mom was sitting at the bar in the kitchen using her laptop. She looked up when we entered the room.

"Hello you two. Who are the roses for?" My mom asked.

I nudged Josie to encourage her. She got way too shy sometimes. "Um, these are for you and Ren and Caleb. Ember, Hunter, and Elsa already have some in their room. I thought maybe you three should have some too."

"Thank you! I'll get a vase for them. Now, you have a look on your face that says you need to ask me something. What is it?"

Josilyn gulped. Feeling that she was freezing up, I explained, "She's been getting tired more often. She wants to see a doctor to see what's wrong but doesn't want to create a scene."

"By creating a scene, you mean having Shiloh find out?" My mom chuckled. "I get it. I love Shiloh but he is such a drama king sometimes. I'll talk to your mom. We'll make an excuse to go down to Denver and have you checked out. Just you, me, and your mother. And Elsa if you want her to come."

"It'd look less suspicious if I came along," I pointed out.

"All right. Let me plan everything. Don't worry sweetie, we'll get this sorted out. Now do you want me to bring those flowers to Caleb or do you?"

"I-I'll do it. And thank you Mrs. Laroche!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Arya? We're family, Josilyn. No formalities here," my mom said kindly.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

**Josilyn**

I knocked politely on Caleb's door, wondering if he'd even let me talk to him. I didn't really know what I was doing. I was not one to directly ask people what was wrong unless it was Hunter, Elsa, or Noah. I was closest to them, Noah for the obvious reason that he's my brother. Elsa and I were the same age and had always hung out. Hunter, for an unknown reason, had always been protective of me. I'm not saying I minded. I liked the oldest Laroche. A lot.

"You can come in," Caleb said. I opened the door.

"Hi," I said sweetly.

I could see the confusion on his face, probably from trying to figure out what I was doing here. "I brought you flowers. I realized I hadn't really seen you much since that fight you and Hunter got into. I thought these would cheer you up."

The Laroche boy smiled and took the flowers from me. "Thank you Josilyn. I'll find a vase for them."

"So how are you doing? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Did Elsa put you up to this? She's been asking me every time she sees me if I'm okay."

"She's worried about you after what Hunter said. So my question…"

"There's not much to talk about. It's the same old stuff going on," he admitted, sitting in his chair and leaning back. I hesitated before sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Do you want me to talk to him? I don't know if he'll even listen to me… I think he's mad at me actually."

"No, don't talk to him. And he is far from mad at you. Why would you think that?"

"I don't know. He hasn't been much for conversation lately and I don't know if it's only me of if he's doing it to everyone."

"He's been doing it to everyone. My mom gave him a really harsh scolding after we argued. He's been kind of quiet since. I don't know what she said but whatever it was did a number on him." He leaned forward, seeming genuinely interested in my pathetic crush on Hunter. Only he and Elsa knew about it. I hid the secret well. And Hunter was an alpha. He would go for someone who could keep up with him. Not someone like… well, me.

"Can I ask you a question?" I inquired bashfully.

"Shoot."

"… Do you see me as below you?"

"No. Why?" His eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Please don't tell Elsa or Hunter, but I've just been feeling down lately…"

"Like heart problems? Or like depression?" Caleb's voice took on a serious tone, making me wonder if he'd dealt with someone who had depression before.

"Elsa already knows that I've been having trouble breathing lately but I keep feeling that everyone looks down on me," I confessed.

"We worry about you. Looking down on and worrying are two very different things. Don't confuse our worry and caring for you with believing we're looking down on you. We're not."

"I don't like being the weakest link though."

"You're a Guardian, Josilyn. You're hardly the weakest link. You're not even the omega. That's Akira. Don't over-analyze things. Trust me, it makes nothing better."

"But I'll never be able to be with someone like your brother."

Caleb snorted. "Why not? You'd be good for him."

"I'm not alpha material," I remarked.

"You don't have to be."

"What if he becomes alpha, Caleb? And in the event I manage to get with him, then I'd have to be."

"A pack can have only one alpha. My mom ran the pack by herself before my dad came along and did just fine. Besides, he'd have Noah as his second. You'd be fine."

"I don't know…"

"My brother has enough… alphaness in him. He needs someone like you to calm him down," Caleb said.

"You think so?" I replied, trying not to sound too hopeful. I didn't want to get my hopes up that Hunter might actually like me in more ways than a friend.

"Pretty sure we all do," he said, a grin spreading across his face.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"It is _no_ secret around here he has a crush on you." He was trying not to laugh but I could tell it wasn't because he was lying. It was because he was honestly enjoying my reaction to not knowing this. And probably his brother didn't want me knowing and if he could spill the beans on his brother, he was going to jump at the chance to.

"Are you serious?"

"Oh, and your crush on him is obvious too. You both do not understand the term 'subtlety'."

"Oh my god," I groaned. Well so much for me hiding _that _secret well.

"And you're both completely oblivious."

"I'm going to die." It was an exaggeration but it was the only one I could think of that sufficed for how I was feeling about this revelation.

"Please don't…" Caleb said.

"So he likes me?" I repeated what I already knew but I wanted hear him say it again. It was so unbelievable.

"Yes. I thought we established that."

I got up and started pacing from excitement. "This is so- _my heart can't handle this_!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't want your heart exploding or something. Hunter would never forgive me for that."

"Oh my- I didn't mean literally! I'm sorry!"

Caleb smiled. "I shouldn't have said something like that. I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't probably. Look, he's going to be coming into the house any minute. Why don't you go greet him?"

"I'm going to panic but I'm going to do it. Thank you so much Caleb!"

"What is family for?"

"I'll bring you more flowers!" I offered. "For helping me!"

He laughed and shook his head. "Just go confess your undying love for each other."

"Oh shush." I lightly hit him on the arm. That only made his grin become bigger.

* * *

**Two weeks later…**

The next couple of weeks had been a blur. School ended for the year. Ember and Jake graduated eighth grade. I'd tried talking to Hunter to get him to admit his crush on me but that had failed, leaving me disheartened. Caleb and Hunter got into another fight. It was stupid, over a piece of meat from one of the deer they'd killed. I hadn't been there to see it but Elsa told me about it. Caleb sported a black eye. Hunter had one hell of a bruised cheek. If it was possible, the former became even more reclusive, only coming out of his room for dinner or if his parents forced him to go out with them. He was quiet and you could see that he was deep in thought. About what though, no one knew.

I was working in my garden when Noah, in wolf form, came charging into my garden. He tripped over a rock which caused him to go skidding into the rosebushes, destroying two or three of them.

"Noah!" I chided, walking over to him. He shifted forms and looked at his scraped up arms with annoyance.

"Why the hell do roses have thorns? They're supposed to be pretty, not painful," he said.

"Is there a reason you just came charging into my garden and destroyed some of my plants."

"Sorry. The Laroches are in a panic. They can't find Caleb."

"What do you mean they can't find him?"

"I mean he's nowhere in the house, he's not picking up his cell phone, and his laptop, some clothes, and a duffel bag are missing. We don't know where he is. That's the definition of missing."

"How can you add humor into this? If Caleb's missing, this is no time to be joking!"

Noah looked ashamed but said, "It's the only way I know how to avoid worrying more than I already am. Ren's taken Ember, Rigg, Riley, and Thea with him to search the southern side of the territory. Arya took Erin, Elsa, Gracie, and Dmitri with her to patrol the western side. Shiloh brought Laurel, Barry, Oliver, and Akira with him to look in the east. Loren took Melinda, Jake, Sebastian, and Diana to look in the north. Hunter and the others are all downtown trying to see if anyone's seen or heard from him. I'm meeting him down there."

"Oh my god… what can I do to help?"

"Ren wants you in his house near the phone in case Caleb decides to call."

"I can do that. But Noah… what if he's run away? What if he doesn't want to be found?"

"That's what I'm worried about."

* * *

**Later that day…**

It was ten at night by the time the entire pack was back at the compound. I'd sat next to the phone the entirety of the day, and if I needed the bathroom, I brought the phone with me. If Caleb called, I wanted to make sure I'd be able to answer it. But he hadn't. Mrs. Laroche was panicking. She hid it on the outside, remaining seemingly calm and in control. Her pounding heart and pale face gave her away though. I felt bad for her. She'd already lost a daughter. Now she'd lost a son.

Hunter came and sat next to me, appearing shaken. I think he blamed himself for his younger brother running off. Sure he'd been harsh, but so harsh that it made Caleb want to leave? I had a hard time believing that. Of course I'd never seen a real argument between them…

Elsa's eyes were bloodshot. Ember had her arm around her sister, trying to comfort her. Ember didn't look much better though. She was visibly shaking, albeit slightly.

My brother sat between the two of us. I'd never seen him so quiet. Noah was always so full of life, always pretty cocky but not in an obnoxious way, always trying to bring humor to the situation (when it was appropriate). He was similar to Ember in that way. I think that's why they got along so well.

Ren and Shiloh were the last to enter the house. Mr. Laroche remained calm as he walked up to his wife. She glanced at him hopefully but I could tell she knew there was nothing to be hopeful for.

"Any news?" Arya queried.

Ren shook his head. "No. Riley picked up his scent that headed into town but it disappeared. We think it was from so many people walking over it."

"Diana picked up his scent in the north. I think he made a circle to throw us off, but it was a weak scent so here's my theory-" Loren said. "- either Caleb went a different direction that we didn't pick up or he left in the middle of the night so he could get a head start because he knew we'd search for him."

"Has anyone tried calling him again?" Arya asked.

"I'll try again," Hunter offered. He pulled out his phone and while the others discussed what else they should do and where else they should look, Thea piped up telling everyone to shush. We all looked at her questioningly but she held up her finger, adding, "Hunter, call Caleb's phone again."

The oldest Laroche boy pressed call again. A few seconds later, there was a faint but distinct sound of a phone buzzing. Arya was already halfway up the stairs before anyone else registered that Caleb's phone was in the house. I was hoping he was there with it, but I had a dreading sense that he wasn't. His scent lingered in the house. However, if he'd been in the house recently, it would've been stronger than it was. I waited downstairs with the others as the Laroches were upstairs. It seemed like everyone knew what the outcome was going to be.

Sure enough, when the family came down, I felt myself tear up. I've been alive for eleven years, and while in reality that's not long, and while I only remember about seven or eight of those years, never once did I recall seeing Arya Laroche cry. I knew she cried when half her pack was murdered by a heinous group of people, but I was only a year old when that happened.

"Arya…" Loren began.

She held up her hand, cutting him off. Taking a deep breath, she said, "We will not stop looking for him. I don't know where he went, or why he left, but we're going to bring him home. Everyone is dismissed. The children will resume their regular activities tomorrow. The adults are going to go to the police, see what they can do to help us. Mostly everyone filed out, but Ren called out for the seconds and their children to stay. Loren, Shiloh, Melinda, Carrie, Riley, Gracie, Noah, and I obediently stayed.

"The reason I asked you to stay is because you were all pretty close to Caleb. Did he give you any hint or inkling of where he could go?" Arya questioned.

"I mean we all saw how quiet he'd become and he is still upset over Anna because he's never forgiven himself for her but I didn't know it was that bad for him," Gracie said.

"He never said anything to me about it. He's always been good with secrets though, whether they were someone else's or his own," Riley added.

"He seemed fine when we went hunting. He acted normal, maybe quiet but not worrisome," Noah commented. I stayed quiet. I knew how badly Caleb had been hurting from his brother's comments but by the expression on Hunter's face, anyone could see he blamed himself for Caleb leaving because he knew how upset Caleb was too.

"If anything comes to you, or if anyone else comes up with something that could help, let us know, okay?" Ren ordered. We all nodded. I hung back and asked to talk to Hunter. He did as I requested although I could tell he really wanted to be alone.

"You okay?" he asked, looking down at me. He was already five-foot eleven. He would definitely end up becoming six foot or taller.

"The question is are you okay?"

"My brother is gone and I know it's because of me. I still blame him but I realize now that my family was right. I shouldn't have yelled at him so much for it. I got so caught up in my anger that I- I couldn't…"

"You're an alpha, Hunter," I consoled. "Alphas are harder to control and to tell what to do."

"I couldn't help it Josilyn. I really couldn't." He ran a hand through his hair. "When we find him, I'm going to apologize. I have to."

"Then let's find him," I encouraged. Hunter gave me his million-dollar smile before pulling me into a hug.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the long chapter! It was fun to finally get this show on the road where the real adventure begins. Please review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm enjoying this too much to quit writing. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Tell me you'll come back for the pack. For me. I don't want to lose you."  
****~Renier Laroche, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 5

**Caleb**

It'd been somewhere around three weeks since I'd run away. I'd kept in wolf form mostly, avoiding civilization, depending on the snack bars I'd bought from the grocery store the day I went to town with Ember and them, and then also on hunting small game, like rabbits and voles. I was exhausted. I'd barely stopped to rest. I wanted to get far away from home. I didn't want them finding me. And on top of that, I was alone and a pretty easy target for any other predators, like bears or mountain lions.

By the time I finally decided I should find a place to stay, I was in Canada. The good thing about being a Guardian is if you need to sneak into another country, you just shift forms because who the hell IDs a wolf? Furthermore, lake and river baths weren't going to suffice anymore. I needed a real shower because I stank to high-heaven. You didn't have to be a Guardian to smell me coming. It was night-time however and no hotel was going to accept me this time of day so I placed my duffel on the ground, shifted into wolf form, and curled up next to it.

I fell asleep pretty quickly but woke up to every little sound. About the thirtieth time I woke up, it was because there were voices. My hiding place in a dense copse of trees hid me pretty well but I was still on edge. Who was out here at midnight in the middle of nowhere?

"Michael, I'm telling you, there was another wolf out here. I just want to make sure it's not a Guardian," a woman said.

"I smell what you mean. Good god, this wolf must be filthy," a man answered; he must've been Michael since no one else was around. The comment made me slightly offended, but at the same time I completely understood where he was coming from. "Elaine, in the trees."

Their eyes settled on me. Instantly I was on my feet, ready to attack, baring my teeth, raising my haunches. I was in no shape to fight but I couldn't let them know that. If they were here to kill me, I was going down with a fight.

"Poor wolf looks like it's been through hell and back," the woman said sadly.

"Smells like it too," Michael added.

The woman hit him in the arm. They were probably in their late forties, early fifties. They both had piercing blue eyes. While the man was tall and buff, the woman had a willowy figure.

"Do you think he's a Guardian?" Michael queried.

"Let's find out," the woman said. I blinked, and in that time, she'd transformed into a wolf herself. I stopped growling but didn't let down my guard.

_Hello youngling. Can you understand me? If so, and you're a Guardian, would you shift so we can talk?_ The woman's voice entered my head. After a moment's hesitation, I listened. She did the same. Giving me a warm smile, she said, "My name is Elaine Stark. This is my husband, Michael Stark. What's yours?"

"Caleb."

"What's your last name?"

"I ran away from home. I'm not a part of that family anymore. I don't have a last name," I snapped. It was a sensitive subject for me, talking about my family. I missed them, but Hunter and my own guilt, mainly the latter but with a lot of help from the former, was the reason I left. I missed Elsa the most. Her and my mom. I'd been so tempted to call them but I knew they'd trace the phone call and track me down, drag me back home. I didn't want to go back home.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight, son?" Michael asked.

"No. I was going to go to a hotel tomorrow, figure out what to do next," I informed.

"Why don't you stay with us for tonight?" Elaine suggested.

"I just met you. Why on earth should I trust you?" I demanded.

"Were you an alpha in your old pack?"

"No, but I was in the running for it with my older brother. What does that have anything to do with me staying with you?"

"Nothing, it's just I'd like to see Lily meet her match. Lily is one of our adopted daughters along with Spencer. Lily is an alpha, but she's so headstrong she needs someone her own age who will tell her no. Spencer is her second. Callie is Spencer's girlfriend and she's also the omega. Michael and I take in stray Guardians. If the Searchers need us to watch some, we do so. We never had kids of our own."

"There's other kids?" I questioned.

"Yes. And if you want proof… here." Elaine handed me her phone. It looked like a family photo. Michael and Elaine were in the back. Three kids sat in front of them. A dark blonde kid sat in front of Elaine. He had green eyes that instantly told me he was loyal to a fault. The girl next to him, who sat in the middle, had dark brown hair. She wore an expression that said 'Mess-with-me-I'll-kill-you' which told me she must be Lily. The girl next to her, in front of Michael, had flaming red hair. That must've been Callie. She had a mischievous gleam in her eyes that could rival Riley and Jake.

"That was at Spencer's football game… or soccer I guess for you Americans. You two look to be about the same age," Michael observed.

"I'm fourteen but I turn fifteen in a month."

"He's a year younger than you then. Lily is your age though. Callie is two years younger than you. Would you like to meet them?" Elaine asked. My brain gave me the worst case scenarios about what would happen to me if I went home with them, most of them ending up with me dead. However, my gut told me they were okay people, so I let them lead the way. Michael took my duffel bag for me. They asked me questions about my life beforehand but I didn't tell them much. I didn't want them knowing who I was. Everyone knew the Laroches because my parents had helped stopped the war. I knew they would know my last name and then it'd be bye-bye Canada, hello Colorado. I was not allowing that to happen.

The trek was short, and when we rounded a bend in the trail, my eyes were greeted with a three-story house. Lights were on in some of the rooms. I could smell some type of food that was either currently being cooked or had been cooked earlier. It smelled delicious. When we entered the house, I heard footsteps charging down the stairs.

"What is that wretched smell?!" A girl demanded. It was Lily. She was the first one to come into the living room since we'd entered through the back door. A boy and girl, Spencer and Callie, came skidding to a stop behind her.

"Lily!" Elaine chastised.

"It's what happens when you haven't taken a shower in three weeks," I quipped.

The girl stared at me. "Why the hell haven't you taken a shower in three weeks?"

"Bathrooms, showers, they're a rarity in the middle of nowhere in the Rocky Mountains."

At that, Spencer snorted in amusement. "I like him. What's your name?"

"Caleb. I'm a… a runaway. Family trouble. Michael and Elaine told me who you were on the way over here. You're Spencer, Lily, and Callie, am I right?" I listed their names in respective order.

"You got it. Where are you from? You sound American."

"Uh-"

"You can ask him questions later. For now, I think Caleb here would like to take a shower," Elaine interjected, patting my shoulder. Gutsy because I seriously smelled so bad that my eyes were watering.

"A much needed shower," Lily said, glaring at me.

"Lily," Michael warned. The two had a stare-down while Elaine escorted me upstairs. She opened a door and said, "This is our guest room. There's shampoo, conditioner, and soap in the shower. Towels are in the closet in the bathroom. Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you though. For taking me in. I really appreciate it," I said sincerely.

"You are welcome to stay as long as you like. I'll leave you be. When you're done, come downstairs and I'll make you dinner. I'm sure you're starved. See you soon Caleb." She shut the door and let me be.

I ended up taking a long shower. I didn't realize how dirty I was until I saw the dirt going down the drain for ten minutes straight. I scrubbed away all the dirt and stench from my time outside. Once my shower was done, I threw on some sweatpants and a tee shirt before heading downstairs. Elaine was speaking with Michael, Lily, and Callie. They were all seated at the kitchen bar, watching her cook.

"Smells delicious, Mrs. Stark," I commented as I entered. It was true. The smell of ham, sausage, and potatoes wafted through the air. My mouth watered. I wanted to eat something other than granola bars and rabbit.

"Sit, sit! Perfect timing, it's almost ready!" Elaine insisted. I sat in the bar stool next to Spencer. Callie and Lily ignored me, but he engaged me in conversation. I liked the kid. Ten minutes later, we were seated at the dining room table. Lily and Callie dominated the conversation, with Spencer making jokes intermittently throughout. Half of the time, I was swallowing some of the soup when he'd make the joke, making me forget I was eating and so I'd start laughing and therefore start choking.

"So how long are you planning on staying here, Caleb?" Lily inquired, her blue eyes settling on me. I knew she was trying to intimidate me but it wasn't going to work.

"Not long. Don't worry."

"Damn, I was hoping for another man in the house. I don't like being outnumbered here," Spencer said.

"I think Michael could count as two men," Lily pointed out.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Mr. Stark said.

"Shame you're not going to stay longer."

"Oh yeah? And why is that?" I questioned.

"I could use someone in this house who can give me some good banter because these two are worthless," she laughed.

"Are they now? Noted."

"Hey!" Spencer protested, but he was grinning.

"For the record, since you're still going to be here until tomorrow so you say, here's the low down: if you haven't figured this out already, Lily is extremely blunt. Sometimes to the point where it can be offensive," Callie explained.

"Like when I came into the house?" I joked.

"Well you smelled like you'd been rolling around in the mud," Lily argued.

"Don't forget the lack of showers in the wilderness." I grinned. "But in all seriousness, I probably won't be here that long."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you need to get you bearings about where you want to go from here," Elaine said.

"Where do you go to school?" I asked.

"The high school down the road. Spencer is in the same classes as Lily because he's a damn genius."

"There's nothing wrong with being smart," I said.

"Thank you!" Spencer said. We'd all finished our soup by now and I was stuffed. Between the food, the lack of sleep, and actually feeling safe for the first time in three weeks, I was beyond ready to go to bed.

"Okay you four, Caleb looks about ready to pass out. I think he should get an early night in. You three help me clean up," Elaine ordered.

"Oh no, let me help. You've been kind enough to let me stay here," I objected.

"No, you can help tomorrow. You get some sleep. Now. You may be an alpha but you're only fourteen. Go get some sleep."

"Tomorrow I'm definitely helping out. Thank you so much for dinner, Mrs. and Mr. Stark."

"Please, call us Elaine and Michael. And you're very welcome dear. I'll wake you up for breakfast in the morning. Have a nice night." I thanked them once more before heading upstairs. I plopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I couldn't believe I'd been so lucky to find such nice people. It seemed odd to me that of all people to find me, to take me in, were Guardians themselves. It was a one in a million chance, but one I gladly welcomed. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to completely fall asleep for the first time in four weeks.

* * *

**Ember**

The house had been pretty solemn. Elsa, unless she was helping find Caleb, kept to herself in her room. She and mom were becoming really close over the whole ordeal. Hunter and dad were closer now too. They both thought that it was best for us to stop looking for him. Their explanation was that if he wanted to be found, he would've at least taken his phone but my mother could not be persuaded to stop. It was causing arguments between them. I'd heard them argue, but not like this…

It was still difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact Caleb had run away. He and Hunter were so different, yet they were both alphas in their own right, in their own way. They both were so _strong_.

My father had called for a pack meeting. We met in our formal dining room. We had a regular one where we ate dinner and breakfast but for formal occasions, like holidays and birthdays, we ate in the formal dining room. I was the first to get there besides my father. He was sitting at the head of the table, looking deep in thought. The Hess family arrived first, followed by the McKays. Hunter came with them. He must've been talking to Josilyn. Despite the age difference, I was pretty sure those two were going to end up together at some point when the age difference wasn't so big to them. Josilyn was just entering seventh grade. Hunter was going to be a junior. It was pretty significant for now, but give them a few more years and they'll be a couple. Elsa sat next to me. Mom followed her and sat at the other end of the table. Loren sat next to her. Even though he was technically my dad's second, he and Shiloh seemed to be switching places. I always wondered if Loren still had feelings for my mother and I think my dad did too at times. But then I always reminded myself that mom had chosen dad over Loren, even when they'd both been vying for her. My dad was the one she chose to have her children with. That had to say something, right?

Once the entire pack was there, my father stood up. He cleared his throat and said, "I've gathered you all here to discuss the disappearance of Caleb." Immediately my mother was on edge. Her eyes held a dangerous glint in them, causing me to actually be fearful for my dad. If he saw her look though, he didn't say anything and continued. "Three weeks ago, our son ran away from home, taking only his laptop and a few clothes. He left behind his cellphone. While we have been searching for him during the time he has been missing, I have decided to call it off."

"Excuse me?" My mom demanded.

My father ignored her. "If my son wanted to be found, he would've called or he would've left a note. The searching for him stops now. When he wants to come home, he will on his own terms, and we will welcome him back."

"Arya, listen to him," Shiloh insisted gently yet firmly. She ignored him.

"What if I refuse to follow your orders? And what happened to the rule of alphas making decisions together?" Mom asked in the deadliest voice I'd ever heard her use.

Dad looked surprised by her tone, but at the same time his expression told me he had expected this reaction from her. He replied to her in stride. "Then you'll be branded a traitor to your pack. You cannot be an effective alpha if your head is focused on finding your son rather than protecting your pack." Gasps went up around the table. I knew my dad was serious about stopping the search for Caleb but to actually deem someone a traitor for trying to search for him? That was nuts. That was unexpected.

"Caleb is our _son_ and you want to leave him alone, to let him defend for himself alone?"

"He did that to himself. He didn't have to run away."

"How can you think that way?"

"Because I'm thinking that if he wanted us to find him or come after him, he would've said something to us already! Get your head out of the gutter and focus on our pack Arya or else you're not going to be an alpha, and it'll be my pack!"

My mother snarled. "Your pack? All the adults at this table knew me long before they knew you. I grew up with half of them. The other half I led through a war. They have always been my pack. We let you into our lives and you better damn well remember that."

My father flinched but only asked, "What is it going to be Arya? The pack or Caleb?"

"Caleb is our pack."

"No, he isn't. He left our pack of his own volition. Now tell me: the pack or Caleb?"

Mom had a stare-down with dad. Everyone in the room was holding their breath. Finally, my mom said, "Next on the agenda is patrols. Hunter with Ren, Elsa with Riley, Ember with Noah, Jake with Diana, Oliver with Laurel, Gracie with Dmitri, Sebastian with Akira, Loren and Melinda, Shiloh and Carrie, Rigg and Erin, Frank and Taki, Dean and Reyna, Sam and Casey, and Nancy and Derek. Barry and Josilyn stay home for obvious reasons."

"And where do you fit into all this?" Dad questioned furiously. "It's not safe for you to be out there by yourself."

"Just like it's not safe for Caleb to be out there by himself," She snapped.

"Do you mean you're leaving?" For the first time, I heard fear in my father's voice. He was scared of losing my mom, and he wasn't the only one.

"No, but you and I are obviously not making decisions together anymore. I'm going out for a walk. The pairings are final. And I can take care of myself."

"Arya, would you like someone to go with you?" Loren asked. I mentally feared for his safety just then. My father's glare turned murderous as his eyes settled on his second.

"She doesn't you going with her," he growled.

"Actually, it would be nice to have a friend to talk to. Yes, you may come Loren," My mom answered.

"Loren is my second. He follows _my_ orders, and my orders are for him to stay here."

"Well then let's change that. Considering you and Shiloh are on the same page with all this, why doesn't he become your second and Loren becomes mine? Got it? Good. Let's go Loren."

"You two are awfully close aren't you?"

Mom whirled around. "What are you implying?"

"Exactly what you think."

"You and I have been married for sixteen years and you seriously think that after all this time, that I would-"

"I don't know, Arya, you tell me!"

"I can't believe you. But that seems to be the order of the day now doesn't it? I'm going to go on a walk with my _friend_. I will see you later." My mother stormed out of the room with Loren trailing behind her.

"Meeting dismissed," dad barked. The pack hurriedly left the room, wanting to get away from the tension. "Melinda, stay. I need to speak with you."

I shut the door but hung back to listen. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had the idea. Elsa and Hunter joined in along with Riley and Gracie. We all hid on the stairwell so when Melinda left, we could hurry and make it look like we were never there.

"Yes, Ren?" Melinda's voice piped up.

"I don't want to worry you when I voice this but am I imagining things? About Arya and Loren?" My dad sighed. I heard him sit down in the chair.

"I've been wondering too. They've become extra close recently, over Caleb, and I can't help but think the same thing you are."

"She was getting so defensive… I don't know if it was because she's innocent and was so shocked by my accusation or if she's hiding something."

"I've already talked to Loren about it. He denied anything was going on. I listened to his heart and it didn't flutter or give any indication that he was lying but then again, he was always a good liar."

"I'm terrified, Melinda. I'm terrified that I'm losing my wife. Our relationship's been stressed ever since Caleb left and we hid that from the kids but after today, they know something's up and they've been through enough. I don't want them to go through anything else-"

"What are you saying?" Melinda sounded worried.

"I'm saying that while I'm not doing, I that after today she's going to want to."

"Want to do what?"

My heart dropped at my father's answer. "I think she wants to divorce me."

Hunter, who had been standing, collapsed silently onto the stairs. Riley and Gracie grabbed onto each other's shoulders. Elsa turned ashen. I'd heard enough though. Forcing my feet to move, I went upstairs to my room.

* * *

**Ren**

Arya barely spoke to me for two weeks after the meeting. She did so only if necessary. Every day, every time she spoke to me, I feared the worst. I feared she would utter the sentence 'I want a divorce'. If she did, I would break. I'd lost half my pack, I'd lost a daughter, and I'd lost a son. Arya had helped me get through that. If I lost her too… I don't know what would happen to me. I don't know what would happen to my kids. I don't know what would happen to our pack.

Speaking of my kids, they must've eavesdropped on my conversation with Melinda. They were silent at dinner, they were silent around me and Arya in general. Hunter spent most of his time with Josilyn, Ember with Noah. Elsa stayed in her room unless she was being driven to her dance classes that she just started.

It was midnight. I was in bed alone. For the fourteenth night in a row, Arya wasn't in bed with me. I'd fall asleep for an hour or a two at a time, wake up, roll over, and expect to drape my arm over my wife. My arm was always greeted with an empty space. Every time, I'd go downstairs and ask her if she was coming to bed. She would always tell me later.

She never did.

I couldn't stand it anymore. I walked quietly down the stairs, not wanting to alert my children I was awake. They'd know instantly something was wrong or something was happening.

I found Arya curled up in a blanket on the couch, watching television as I assumed. Her eyes flitted over to me. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," I admitted. "What are you doing?"

"Watching some movies."

I leaned against the door frame, staring at my wife. It was sort of a déjà vu moment. I'd done this so many times, especially when the kids were little. She'd be holding them in her arms, smiling and laughing with them. When Arya would finally realize I was there, her smile would get even bigger. I'd walk up to her, give her a kiss, and then sit down next to her. We were so happy, so comfortable. Now it felt like we were strangers to each other.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"Am I not allowed to look at my wife?" I countered back, coming out as more of a serious question than I wanted it to. I strode up to her, cupped her face, and kissed her long and hard. I pulled back to catch my breath.

"What was that for?" she breathed.

"I want you to know how much I love you and since I haven't exactly been one with words with you lately, I wanted to try a different way."

"I love you too," she said.

I stood up straight, finally allowing myself to confess what had been on my mind for the past month. "Do you?"

"Do I what?" Arya stood up as well, still wrapped in her blanket.

"Do you still love me? You barely speak to me, you barely look at me, you're barely in the house anymore, and I'm scared. I'm scared I've lost you, and not only lost you but lost you to Loren. I've seen you two going on all those walks and so has Melinda. She's worried just like I am. If you do love him, okay, I'll back off, but at least tell me what happened between us that caused you to stop loving me." My voice cracked near the end. My wife stared at me in shock but I didn't let her say anything. I continued, "If you want to talk to me, I'll be upstairs."

"You were right," she said. I turned around, giving her a defeated look.

"So it's true? You and Loren are-" I halted.

"What? No! You're wrong about me and Loren. There's nothing more than friendship there. I'm talking about Caleb. You were right about him, and that's the reason Loren has been going on the walks with me lately. He's been trying to convince me that you were right."

"Which he obviously did so why did you listen to him but not to me?"

"He didn't actually. You did. He's just convinced me to admit it to you." Arya bit her lip. "It hurts so much Ren, knowing that Caleb ran off because he couldn't stand being in the family any longer. It hurts knowing that I should've seen the signs and I didn't, I should've helped him or talked to him but I didn't. I mean what kind of mother let's her son suffer like he has?" I pulled my wife into a hug. She was crying now. "And then you and me… after what I said to you at the meeting, about our pack actually being mine, it's not. It's yours too. I was in such denial that I took it out on you and I thought after what I said that you'd want a divorce and every time we talked, I dreaded it because I thought you were going to bring it up and-"

"You thought I wanted to divorce you? I thought you wanted to divorce me! That's why I hardly talked to you. You were so mad at me… And love, Caleb chose not to tell us. You and I asked, multiple times, if he was okay. Hunter yelling at him all the time pushed him over the edge but you know he was never the same after Anna's death. It wasn't his fault and in time maybe he'll come to see that. He just needs space. Caleb will come home one day. But I don't think it'll be soon. So for now, we have three children who need us. We have a pack who needs us. So let's focus on them, okay?"

Arya wiped the tears off her face. "You're right. I'm sorry I haven't been the alpha I've needed to be."

"You've been under a lot of stress. And you were so close to Caleb. Do you want to go upstairs?"

"I- no. Not yet. I just have a few more videos to watch."

"What videos?"

"… Home videos. Of our family. Just you, me, Hunter, Caleb, Ember, Elsa, and Anna."

"Is that what you've been watching the past two weeks?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to remember the good times because everything's been going to hell recently."

At that, I gave a small laugh. "You're right. Would you mind if I watched them with you?"

"No, I'd love for you to."

I scooped my wife into my arms and carried her to the couch. We cuddled on the couch as I hit the 'play' button. It was an older video. Arya must've been watching the videos backwards in timeline because Anna was still alive in this one. It was Christmas. Elsa and Anna were play-fighting with Hunter in the background, tag-teaming against him. The twins looked to be about three years old, which meant Hunter must've been seven, Caleb six, and Ember four. My youngest son popped up in front of the camera, so close all you could see was his nose.

"How does this thing work mommy?" Caleb inquired, jabbing his finger at the lens. Arya jerked the camera away just in time.

"Come around and I'll show you. Caleb disappeared from view, but Ember took his place. It was nice to see a time when my family was whole, before we'd been ripped and torn apart.

"Mom? Dad?" Ember's voice drifted from the doorway. Hunter and Ember stood behind her. "Are you two okay now?"

"Yeah, we're okay," Arya said sleepily. "You want to join?"

My kids nodded, sitting on the couch with us. Elsa curled up next to me. Ember rested her head on her mom's shoulder, Hunter did the same to Ember. The kids fell asleep around two in the morning, but Arya and I stayed up until four, finishing all the videos. She fell asleep soon after though. I stayed up, enjoying having what was left of my family with me.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the long chapter :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I have a layover right now for three hours, so I'm gonna knock out a chapter for y'all :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**There's nothing quite like a really good kiss."  
****~Shay Doran, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 6

**Caleb**

Over the course of next two weeks, I convinced Elaine to let me help her clean up after we were done eating. Callie dragged Spencer to a dance class each day. He told me he actually enjoyed it. At least when they learned hip hop. Ballroom was another story apparently. Lily would always walk sleepily into the kitchen after they left. She was obviously not a morning person.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty," I greeted her like I did every morning.

"Shut up, Prince Phillip," she grunted.

"I made you a plate for when you woke up. It's in the fridge," Elaine informed. Lily thanked her and heated up her meal. She sat at the bar and began eating. Her eyes turned on me as she said, "So, you're still here? I thought you'd be gone by now?"

"I'm not sure where to go from here yet. I might be around for a few more days."

"Good, because I'm the awkward third wheel when it comes to Callie and Spencer and I typically don't have anyone to hang out with when they're gone. Let's go out to the woods. I'll show you around our territory."

"Sounds like a deal. I have nothing to do today so I don't see the harm," I said.

"Just be careful you two. You may be alphas but you're still young," Elaine warned.

"I'm always careful," Lily declared.

"Debatable."

"You're definitely always blunt," I remarked.

"You're always a smart-ass," she countered.

"Only to you."

"I'm flattered. Okay, let me get dressed and I'll be ready." Lily disappeared upstairs for ten minutes before reappearing in shorts and a tank top with some sort of sleeveless jacket over it. I don't know what they're called. I'm no fashion expert. She led me out the door and shifted into wolf form. I debated telling her about my ability to change coat colors but I decided against it. They already thought I was weird enough. No need to give them any more reason at the moment.

_Okay, so seriously, who are you? You seem pretty trustworthy but you have way too many secrets. Spill._ Lily ordered.

_You do know you're not my alpha, right?_ I queried.

_Just because you're an alpha doesn't mean you can waltz into our lives and just live with us without telling us exactly who you are. Obviously you don't want us to know because you think we're going to send you back but we're not. It's not like we're kidnapping you and you're American. I doubt they're going to look for you in Canada._

I mentally sighed and made sure she knew it. I stopped next to a tree and shifted forms. I sat against the trunk. Lily sat in front of me, leaning back on her hands and legs crossed in front of her.

"Bear with me. It's a rotten story… My family has been through a lot and I'm probably putting them through more crap by leaving but it's for the better. I was just a bitter reminder for them and I didn't want to be. My brother was an ass who wouldn't let me live my mistake down even though I was doing that job just fine on my own… thing is he was right. It was my fault and just because I know it doesn't mean I wanted him bringing it up every time he got the chance. I still love him but I couldn't handle it anymore. I couldn't handle him yelling at me. And then my dad… he never trusted me to be alone to watch any more of my siblings afterwards. Whenever we went on hunts or whenever we had to go to the store, unless someone else was there with me to watch my siblings, he wouldn't leave me alone. I didn't like the feeling of not being trusted, of feeling that I couldn't go to anyone to talk to. And then my brother Hunter and I got into massive fights which sent me over the edge. In our last one I got a black eye. He got a bruised cheek. It was so stupid but we fought over everything and I was tired of it. So I left. I packed some clothes, my laptop, some snacks, and left. Three weeks in the wilderness before Elaine and Michael found me, and now I'm here with no plan on where to go next, no idea how I'm going to get money… I didn't think this totally through which is obvious but I couldn't stand being home anymore."

Lily appeared deep in thought. "I don't understand something though."

"What is it?"

"You said something caused your brother and father to never trust you again, but what was it?"

I felt my eyes stinging from tears but I forced them away before I spoke. I still had trouble speaking about this. "My youngest sister, Elsa, she had twin named Anna. About two years ago, I was watching Anna while the rest of our pack went hunting because she was sick and I had a project to finish for school. Three hunters broke into our house and tried to kill me. They killed Anna in front of me. I don't remember much after that. I woke up in my room with my mom at my bedside."

"How is that your fault though? You were what… twelve? You, a twelve year old against three trained Hunters, had no chance. We're alphas. We feel like it's our fault if anything happens to our pack even if it's not. Like Spencer, his parents left him with the Searchers because they couldn't take care of him financially. When I met him, and he told me, I felt like it was my fault even though I knew there was no way I could've stopped his parents from doing what they did. But it hurts him, and I hate seeing any of my pack members in pain. Callie, her parents were killed by Hunters when she was four so she remembers it. I can't count the number of times I've ended up staying with her through the night because she's had a nightmare about it. But my point is, your sister's death isn't your fault. The only fault lays in the people who did the killing. Your brother probably feels guilty and blames himself but since you were at the scene of the crime, he takes it out on you by blaming you for the whole situation."

I let her words sink in. More so the information about Spencer and Callie than anything. I had wondered how'd they'd ended up in Elaine and Michael's care but I was so new I didn't dare find out why. Instead I asked, "How did you end up here?"

"Same as you, but different reason. I ran away because my mom died during childbirth and my father went mad with grief. He took it out on me physically. I came here five years ago. Took refuge with the Searchers who in turn put me in the care of Elaine and Michael. Spencer was the first to come when he was three. Then Callie. Then me. Now you."

"I'm sorry."

Lily shrugged. "I don't miss him. I miss my mom. I wish I'd gotten to meet her, and sometimes it's really hard when I remember that I won't ever meet her, but then I remind myself that I have an amazing family here. I have a pack here, and whether you like it or not, you do too now."

"I have to admit, I may have only been here for a couple weeks, but I love it here. I like being in a place where the people around me don't judge me for past mistakes," I confessed.

For the first time, Lily gave me a genuine smile. "Elaine and Michael weren't kidding when they said you could stay here as long as you like. I'm American like you. Spencer and Callie are both Canadian, but the Searchers have ways of getting you papers that make you look like you're an actual Canadian citizen without actually being so. Technically I'm an illegal immigrant. The Starks have my original birth certificate in a safe. But my new birth certificate says I was born in Canada so I'm allowed to go to school here and everything. They could do the same for you if you wanted but they'd have to know your last name. The Searcher's refuse to make false last names for people unless it's for security measures like Shay Doran's parents. They were given false names I'm pretty sure." I gulped. If Lily knew about the Dorans, she would definitely know about the Laroches. "You know the name, don't you?"

"Who doesn't?" I countered.

"They're famous, but I think the Laroches are more famous now. Between Renier helping end the war, the Lightwood pack for officially starting the movement with the Searchers, and Arya Laroche killing Lumine, you have to admit they're a pretty badass family. I'd love to meet them"

Oh yeah, she definitely knew about my family. At least she didn't know the names of my parents' kids… yet. I switched topics and I'm not sure how long we talked before I asked her, "So what do you do during the summer? Callie and Spencer have their dance classes. What about you?"

"I spend my time exploring outdoors once they're back. Elaine and Michael don't really like me going out by myself, at least not in the wilderness. They're fine if it's just in town though. I also read a lot. I also learn about the family business. Spencer, Callie, and I are going to run it after Elaine and Michael. They own a chain of hotels called the Fairmont. They're mostly in Canada and the US but they have one or two in the UK. England and Scotland I think but I don't know the exact places. Probably London for England but I have no idea for Scotland. But hey, I'll learn it. We should head back. Lunch will be ready soon and Spencer will get really grouchy if we're late because Elaine and Michael won't start eating unless everyone's there. Come on." The two of us began walking back to the house. "What did your parents do?"

"Ironically, they're in the hotel business too. My father ended up buying properties and now we rent houses to people too. Everyone in the pack has a job. My mom runs the hotel itself. My dad handles the rented properties. My parents' seconds handle the stock. The others do the top managerial positions at the hotel or help out my dad."

"What hotel is it? Maybe I've heard of it. I mean usually if a Guardian family runs something, most people know about it over here."

"You're going to kill me when you find out…" I said. I knew she'd find out sooner or later, and it was better coming from me than someone else.

"What are you? A Laroche or something?" Lily laughed. When I didn't say anything, only looking extremely guilty, her eyes widened. "_You're a Laroche?!_"

"Yes." She punched me hard in the arm. "OW!"

"I can't believe you're a damn Laroche! I was sounding like a fool because I idolize your family for being so badass and then I have an actual Laroche sitting in front of me _letting me_ make a fool of myself. What were you thinking?"

"That we were having a nice conversation at that point and time and didn't want to ruin it?" I replied. She hit me again.

"So your dad is Ren Laroche? And your mom is Arya Lightwood? And your dad's second is Loren Hess right? I don't mean to sound weird which I probably do anyway considering I know so much about your family but Loren is seriously good looking. Good looks run in your family apparently though. This is so cool!"

"Did you just say I'm good looking?" I mused, giving her a cheeky grin.

"Don't get on your high horse. All Guardians have supernatural good looks," she said, wiping my cheerful expression off my face. "Are you going to tell Elaine and Michael? If not, you have to at least tell Callie. Spencer knows about your family but he doesn't really idolize anyone or anything. I mean if you wanted to tell him, you could because he wouldn't freak out like Callie would. Don't get me wrong, we'll keep it a secret. I mean there's stuff that Elaine and Michael still don't know about any of us and we've been with them for years. You're secret is safe with me."

"You're a very ranty person when you're excited about something, did you know that?" I commented.

"Oh shut it, pretty boy."

I gave her a light nudge with my shoulder. "Thank you though, for keeping it a secret. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome." The two of us walked up the hill just as Michael arrived in the car with Callie and Spencer. The two Guardians hopped out of the car.

"Geez, Lily, it's been less than twenty-four hours and you're already hitting on Caleb? That's a record!" Spencer shouted. Lily growled at him but he just laughed.

"I'm part of a record?" I queried in amusement.

"A new one. I've never dated anyone. And don't listen to him, he's just trying to embarrass us."

"I think it's embarrassing you more than me."

"It is not. I don't get embarrassed."

I leaned in and whispered, "Then why are you blushing?" I strutted away over to Spencer and entered the house with him. "So how was dancing today?"

"I've decided I'm going to become a hip hop dancer. It's so freaking awesome!"

"It is not," Callie griped. "Ballroom is much more fun."

"I beg to differ. All you do is twirl and stuff."

"Not in the advanced classes!"

"One happy couple," Lily said.

"At least I have a significant other, Carter," Callie retorted.

"I'm very content on my own. I just don't like being the awkward third wheel with two. But now that Caleb's here, that's changed."

"He said he won't be here for long though."

"He'll be here long enough for me to have back up. Besides, it'll be two alphas versus a beta and an omega. Who do you think will win that one?"

"I think we need to eat," I jumped in.

"I know I said this before, but I like him. I like the way he thinks. We're similar that way."

"You mean all you think about is food?" Callie joked.

"Yes," Spencer and I replied simultaneously. We high-fived each other. Lily and Callie were staring at us like we were mental. They shook their heads, leaving the foyer to go to the kitchen.

"You can't leave me Caleb. I've never gotten to enjoy seeing that look on their face before until you came around," Spencer said drolly.

"I feel like if I stay any longer, Lily will kill me in my sleep," I said.

"Nah, if you two went for a walk and she didn't kill you then, she won't now. Oh, and I doubt she'd kill you after finding out you're a Laroche."

"What?! How did you-" I began.

"She wasn't exactly quiet when she found out and I had the window rolled down in the car. And you yelped pretty loudly which means she must've hit you."

"I did not yelp," I protested.

"Uh huh. Listen, we all know now but we're not going to say a word. They already prevented Lily's dad from taking her back. He found her, tried to break his way in. He was in the hospital for a month after the damage Elaine and Michael did."

"I think my parents would be much worse. I mean, I don't think they'll look in Canada so we don't have to worry but my parents are frightening when they're mad. When they fight, they're clever. They're able to separate the group and attack one-on-one. They taught us all how to do it. I should teach you three."

"You teach us your moves, we'll teach you ours. Deal?" Spencer held out his hand.

"Deal," I agreed.

* * *

**Three months later…**

I sat in my desk chair, scrolling through the endless bouquets of flowers and bouquets of cookies. My mom's birthday was coming up and I wanted to send her something. She wouldn't be able to trace me if I paid with my debit card. At least I didn't think she could…

"Hey you," Lily said, entering my room.

"Hey," I replied, not looking her way. I felt her stand behind me.

"Who are those for?" She inquired.

"My mom. Her birthday is coming up soon. I want to send her something."

"I don't know much about your mom but roses are always a good way to go."

"If her second's daughter didn't have an entire garden full of nothing but roses, I'd go with that option," I laughed.

"Lilies?"

"I thought about it… but my mom knows that certain flowers and even certain flower colors have meanings. I went shopping with my dad once and he told me that. I always remembered that."

"Your mom sounds interesting."

"She is…"

"You miss her?"

"Yeah. A lot. Her and my sisters. I miss my dad but he and my brother never treated me the same after Anna. Anyway, on a happier note, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be school shopping with Elaine?" I turned around in the chair. Lily leaned against my desk.

"There was some trouble at one of the hotels so she and Michael have been dealing with that all day. Shouldn't you be packing? I thought you were leaving before school started?"

"I don't have much. I'll do it the night you leave. That anxious to get me out?" I joked, glancing at my computer.

Lily didn't find it funny. "No. Quite the opposite actually. I want you to stay."

I turned back to look at her. "What?"

"I want you to stay," she repeated. Taken aback, I asked her why. I mean, she and I had definitely gotten along while I'd been here but she had seemed like she didn't care if and when I left. She'd seemed totally indifferent about it. Spencer and Callie were more vocal about being mad about me leaving even if they laughed when they mentioned it. Lily paused before answering. I figured maybe she liked having another alpha around or someone to banter with like she mentioned the first night I was there. I didn't expect her to lean down and kiss me.

"That's why. I like you Caleb. I like you a lot," she admitted. "If you really want to leave, I'm not going to stop you. But I'm sure as hell going to try and get you to stay."

"You just kissed me," I stated, dumbfounded.

"And knocked out all senses you had apparently. I mean that's not much but still."

"I-uh- I just didn't know you liked me like that."

Lily looked down. It was the first time she'd never been able to look me in the eye. "I thought you were a cute dork when you arrived, one that smelled really badly by the way."

"You're never going to let me live that down are you?"

"No, but moving on, after we had that talk in the woods, I started liking you. Spencer and Callie know. They know just about everything. It's why they've been so pushy about getting you to stay. They told me that you were still leaving and that I needed to take it into my own hands. So I did. And I don't think it's working."

"No, no… I mean, I definitely like you."

"But you miss your family."

"I do. But I would also miss you and the others. I don't feel judged here. It's a nice feeling. I'm a terrible runaway, aren't I?"

"You're confused because you feel like you're betraying your family by running away but you also don't want to be judged. I guess you have to decide which is more important to you. If you choose to go back, Elaine and Michael would drive you. But if you decide to stay with us, you could go to school with us, learn our trade in the hotel business, the works. I'm not going to choose for you though. You have to do that for yourself." Lily kissed me on the head this time before leaving me alone. I groaned. I hated this feeling of indecision. I wanted to be back home with Elsa and my mom and Ember. But then there was the thing with my dad and Hunter… maybe living with the Starks could be something different. They knew of my past, they knew what had happened, yet they didn't judge me, and I loved them for that. Maybe being here could be a new beginning.

A new beginning…

"That's it!" I exclaimed, violently swiveling my chair so I could face my computer. I scoured the internet for flowers that meant a new beginning because my mom would know, and if she didn't, she'd figure it out. My mother was smart beyond words. Elsa and I had inherited that from her. I'm not saying Ember and Hunter were stupid by any means, but they never did as well in school as me and my baby sister.

I found out that daffodils represented new beginnings. I ordered a bouquet online for her along with some cookies that said 'happy birthday'. I didn't send a card or anything because I knew she would know. That and my siblings would say it wasn't from them. I placed the order and headed to Lily's room. I was going to tell her that it was time for a new beginning for me, and that was starting with her.

* * *

**So Caleb decided to stay with the Starks. Wonder what's going to happen… let me know what you think in a review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I debated about whether writing this chapter or the chapter for my new story but I went with this one. Have fun :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Fear is beside the point when you're faced with the thing you fear."  
****~Andrea Cramer, **_**Invisibility**_

* * *

Chapter 7

**Lily**

**Six years later…**

I rolled over and rested my head on Caleb's chest. After three years of dating, we usually ended up sleeping in one another's room now. He was snoring softly. I poked him gently in the stomach. He grunted but stayed asleep. I tried a different tactic by kissing him on the ear. Caleb's mouth spread into a smile.

"Morning beautiful," he whispered.

"Morning handsome," I said. He turned his head to me. It was still hard for me to believe he'd chosen to stay with us. I remembered sulking in my room, wondering whether or not he'd stay after I talked to him that summer six years ago, and having him come barging into my room to kiss me. It was settled after that. The Searchers made him a new identity, leaving his last name as Laroche. They looked at him like was crazy because they knew who he was but one glare in their direction made them keep their mouths shut. I was proud of my alpha boyfriend. He'd grown up so much, both mentally and physically. I actually had to stand on my tiptoes to kiss him now. He rolled out of bed and got dressed. I followed in suit. Callie had just graduated so now that we were all out of school, it was time for all of us to throw ourselves into our family's business.

"So what do you think they're going to have us do?" Caleb asked, putting on his shirt.

"They'll start us off with something simple," I said while I put on my makeup. "Although they're having me go help do some stuff for a wedding that's being hosted at the hotel."

"Good luck with that. I think I want to do the sales and marketing. I'm good at that. Come on, let's go get some breakfast." We went downstairs hand-in-hand, unaware of the argument we were about to enter. Immediately I recognized how distressed, how _angry_, Spencer was. I could practically see his wolf form slithering around him.

"How could you not tell me this?!" He demanded. Elaine and Michael were standing in front of him, looking extremely guilty. Callie sat next to them at the table. She was crying.

"What's going on?" I asked, cutting through the tension.

"This." Spencer threw a piece of paper at me. I caught it. Caleb and I read through it. I felt my heart beating faster and faster. How was this possible?

"You're… you're his parents?" Caleb queried, looking up at the Starks.

"We couldn't afford to keep him financially when we had him. We gave him to the Searchers until we could get on our feet. In three years' time, we could so we took him back but we didn't think he'd understand why we did what we did at that age so we waited."

"For what?! I've been thinking my parents simply didn't want me for the past nineteen years. You've let me live with that. How could you do it!"

"We didn't know how! We didn't know how to bring it up. And then we saw how much resentment you had for your parents for giving you to the Searchers and we thought it was best not to tell you because we wanted you to love us for who you thought we were instead of for who we really are. I'm so sorry son. I'm so sorry," Elaine said, crying.

"Well now I don't love you as either. And Callie, how could you keep this from me? How long did you know?" Spencer turned his anger onto my second. Callie had been promoted when Spencer became Caleb's second.

"They told me not tell you. I didn't want to hurt you. Spencer, please, I'm sorry!" Callie begged.

"You and I? We're over." He stormed over to the door, slamming it shut after he walked out. Elaine sank into the chair next to Callie and started crying. Michael rubbed his forehead.

"Someone has to go after him. They have to talk some sense into him," Callie said through her tears.

"I'll do it. I'll be back," Caleb announced. He gave me a kiss on the cheek before running off after his second. That left me with a wreck of a family. I didn't know what to do or say. I saw both sides of the story. I understood why the Starks kept it a secret but I understood why Spencer was so angry. Instead, I asked, "How did he find out?"

"I asked him to go get a paper from the safe. It was the deed for one of our hotels. I don't know why he dug around in there but he found the letter we wrote to the Searchers about why we were giving him to them. It spiraled from there," Michael explained.

"Caleb will get him to come to his senses, but don't expect him to be totally accepting of it for a while. I have to go to town to help with the wedding. Will you be okay while I'm gone?"

"We'll be here, waiting for Spencer," Elaine replied sadly. I gave them all a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I grabbed the keys to our Ferrari. It was mine and Caleb's car. Spencer and Callie shared a Mercedes McClaren. Spencer and Caleb also had motorcycles, wicked fast ones too. They were in storage because you can't really ride motorcycles in Canada even in May. There's too much of a risk that it'll snow because we have strange weather that makes no sense.

The entire time I was working with the wedding planners, I was on edge. I couldn't shake off my worry for any of my pack. I tried not to let it distract me from work but it was nearly impossible. About an hour into work, there was a loud boom. I thought a worker had dropped something, so I got up to go reprimand them. When I entered the lobby, I saw everyone running outside. Curious, I followed them. Smoke rose up in the distance and a cold feeling settled in my bones. My house…

"Parker, get my car," I ordered the valet guy next to me. When he continued to stand in shock, I shouted furiously, "_PARKER! GO GET MY CAR NOW!_"

The poor guy jumped and did as I said, but I didn't care that I scared him. All I cared about was getting to my pack to make sure they were all right. Surely it wasn't my house. It couldn't be my house. It just couldn't.

One agonizing minute later, Parker pulled up with my car. I tossed him a fifty and tore out onto the road. Cops pulled out behind me but I could care less. If I got arrested for reckless driving because I was scared for my family, then so be it. I just had to know. I skidded onto my driveway, racing up the long road. When I rounded the bend, I came to a screeching halt. I scrambled out of the car and stared at the inferno of flames that engulfed my house.

"No…" I gasped.

I screamed for Caleb.

I screamed for Spencer.

I screamed for Callie.

I screamed for Elaine.

I screamed for Michael.

Not one of them answered me.

At least I didn't hear the first two calling me because I couldn't hear them over my screaming. I saw them come tearing out of the forest. Both collapsed onto their knees when they saw the sight before them. I dashed over to them. I fell to my knees and pulled them into bone-crushing hugs. I felt their arms go around me. We stayed like that until we heard people trying to speak to us. I hadn't realized the policemen and firemen were there. They had an ambulance too but none of us were harmed and we refused to move. All of us were in too much shock.

"Let me talk to them," a voice ordered. Through my tears, I looked up at the person who thought they could get us to talk. I wasn't speaking right now for the life of me. Spencer had stopped crying but wasn't speaking. He was staring at the wreckage of our house. Caleb was murmuring "not again" over and over but I couldn't understand why.

"Caleb? Caleb Laroche?" the man stated, staring at the alpha in disbelief. It broke my boyfriend out of his stupor. His eyes drifted over to the guy and widened in surprise.

"C-Connor?" Caleb stammered.

Connor knelt down. "I can't believe… we looked everywhere for you. I'm so glad you're safe."

"You know him?" I said, glaring at the guy. I didn't like how well he seemed to know my boyfriend.

Caleb nodded. "He's my… my dad's sister's husband."

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I- I'm… no, I'm not. Connor, this is the same thing that-"

"I know. That's why I'm coming to take you to the Searchers."

"No, I'm not going! I want to find the people who did this!"

"And we're going to, but we need to get you three safe, okay?" Connor replied. He helped the three of us up. With a quick word to the cops, we were off to an unknown destination in a surprisingly nice van. Caleb seemed to trust this Connor guy, so I did too, but that didn't mean I was going to be friendly. I turned my attention to Spencer who was still mute.

"Spence? Hey, say something," I whispered.

"They didn't know…" he said softly.

"Know what?" I asked.

"That I loved them. I did… all of them… They all thought I hated them when I left and I didn't I was just angry and now they'll never know."

"They did. They knew you were upset."

"But what if they didn't?" Spencer was breathing hard now and I worried he was about to have a panic attack. I needed to calm him down.

"They did. Because I know. Because Caleb knows. Because I told them before I left that you did. They know why you said what you did, and they understood, okay?" Spencer nodded. I held his hand and slipped my other hand into Caleb's. I rested my head on his shoulder. He kissed me on the top of my head and said, "I'm going to get who did this. I swear on my life."

I corrected him. "_We_ are going to get them. I'm not losing the only family I have left."

* * *

**Two chapters in less than 24 hours. You better love me. Review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**And the real fun begins! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**No human could withstand a Guardian's warning glare."  
**_**~Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 8

**Elsa**

"Thea! Come on! We're going to be late! Even Riley finished before you!" I hollered at my pack mate. She came bounding down the stairs, hair tied into a bun.

"Sorry, sorry, I overslept. Let's go!" Thea said. For being the same age, there was actually no question about who was more responsible. I loved her dearly but she could be… air-headed. And I'm the blonde! Isn't is supposed to be the other way around if we're following stereotypes here? The three of us went outside. I slid into the driver's seat. There was no way either one of them was driving. It's incredible they weren't dead with the way they drove. Thea drove too fast and Riley was really bad at knowing when to start brake. I wondered how he passed his driving test…

I pulled out of our driveway and headed down the mountain into town. The air was just beginning to smell like fall was coming. Maybe it was just me but I could smell when the seasons were changing. Each one had a different scent. But back to fall, that also meant school was starting, and for me, it was my senior year. It was Josilyn and Thea's as well. We were all graduating this year. Most of our family was out of school. Only Laurel, Akira, Barry, and Sebastian were left. Sebastian, while he was the youngest, skipped a grade because he didn't want to be alone in high school and I couldn't really blame him, so he was graduating with the other three.

The drive to the dance studio was short and we barely made it inside and into the classroom before class started. I made my way to the front of the room to my normal spot. My instructor strode into class, head held high. A guy trailed behind him. He looked about twenty-one or twenty-two. The instructor pointed to the empty space next to me and he obeyed. He stood next to me, flashing me a shy smile. I returned it before facing forward.

The class began. This was my first of two classes. This was hip hop. After it was ballroom. We were learning to tango. It was so much fun. On the downside, my partner for it could not dance to save his life.

"Pair up! We're going to be doing some partner exercises!" Our instructor. As I predicted, Riley picked Thea, letting her know they were partners by lightly kicking her in the butt with his foot. She responded by punching him in the arm. He had the biggest crush on her and she had no idea. It was amusing and sad to watch all at the same time.

"Excuse me?" I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. Turning around, I saw the newbie staring at me with inquisitive green eyes. "Do you have a partner?"

"I do now," I said, giving him a smile. Unlike the rest of my family, I wasn't afraid to interact with humans. Humans were terrified enough of us in general. This guy didn't seem to be but he'd learn quickly about the hierarchy in Estes Park. He'd learn quickly that the Laroche family was off limits unless they spoke to you first.

"You better trust your partner because we're doing some complicated stuff here. You ready? Now watch carefully," our instructor, Mike, ordered. My eyes followed every move and my head hurt from trying to figure out exactly why I was supposed to do. However, when my instructor and his partner were done, he laughed and added, "We're going to do it slowly now. I swear it's not as complicated as it looks."

The second time around, he did it much slower and my head didn't hurt near as much. My instructor had us grab our partner's hand and walked us through each step. My partner, much to my enjoyment, was phenomenal, and definitely a seasoned expert in hip hop. At one point I slipped and would've fallen on my head had he not caught me with his lightning fast reflexes. I could feel Thea and Riley watching me, more out of protectiveness than anything else but it annoyed me. My entire family barely let me out of their sight. It's like they thought I was going to run off or get myself killed or something. I was not reckless. I knew how to take care of myself. I'd been taking care of myself for a while now.

"Very good, very good!" My instructor praised. "Continue practicing. Tracy and I are going to be coming around and making sure you're all doing it correctly. Chop chop!"

All the kids scrambled to practice. I calmly turned to face my partner. We didn't say anything but we didn't need to. We were here to practice, and considering that both Mike and Tracy walked past us without saying a word, I figured we were doing just fine.

My partner set me down after we'd practiced the move for about the thirtieth time. He was barely breaking a sweat which made me wonder how much he worked out because even the seasoned male dancers here were starting to show signs of strain doing this move.

"That's it for class today. Dismissed. And good job everyone!" Mike praised. Thea and Riley sidled their way over to me. They said they were going into town to get lunch before heading back home. I had two hours to kill before my next lesson, ballroom dancing, so I agreed. I'd barely taken a step towards the door when my ballroom instructor called out my name. I told Thea and Riley to wait outside for me. The two followed my commands.

"Yes, Mrs. Ulman?" I asked, shouldering my dance bag. I swear this thing got heavier every time.

"We have a bit of a crisis. Your dance partner broke his leg," she said. As if on cue, my dance partner, Hugh, came hobbling out on crutches. He looked ashamed and embarrassed, and while I wanted to scream from frustration, I also knew there was no point in doing so.

"What happened?" I queried.

"I tripped over my cat and fell down the stairs. It was stupid. I'm sorry, Elsa. I know you wanted to go to that dance competition," Hugh apologized.

"Yeah, but it's more important that you're okay," I said.

He gave me a smile. "I just came down here to tell you that. I have to go now. Or else my mom will get mad about what's holding me up considering I have a doctor's appointment."

"You can go," I said kindly. After he was gone, I questioned, "So what do I do now?"

"Unless you can find a dance partner in the next couple weeks, you're going to have to forfeit your place in the competition. I'm sorry Elsa."

I tried not to let my disappointment show on my face but it was impossible. We both knew that I wouldn't be able to find a partner. Young, ballroom dancers were a rarity in Estes Park.

"Excuse me?" My instructor and I looked at the source of the question. My partner from hip-hop stood there. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I'm a little rusty when it comes to ballroom dancing but I'm a fast learner. I'd be willing to be your dance partner if you want."

Mrs. Ulman glanced at me. I was too busy trying to figure out who this guy was. Instead I blurted out, "So you can dance hip hop and tango?"

"More of the former but I can learn the second one pretty quickly. What do you say?"

"Why not? Thank you," I agreed.

"We'll have to get you trained up pretty fast. Why don't you two go grab a quick bite to eat and then come back right after. We'll get you two started early, get him up to speed with where we're at," Mrs. Ulman remarked.

"Yes ma'am," he and I replied simultaneously. The instructor left, and he and I headed out the doors.

"Hey, since we're going to be partners in hip hop and ballroom dancing, I feel like I should know your name," he said.

"I'm Elsa Laroche. What about you?"

He gave me a smile that made my heart flutter because he was absolutely gorgeous when he wasn't smiling, but he when he was, good lord… "My name is Spencer. Spencer Barnes."

* * *

**Oooh Spencer is Elsa's dance partner? Does that mean Caleb is back in town? Does that mean he's going to see his family again? Let me know what you think in a review :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**You're a freak for not being terrified of me."**

* * *

Chapter 9

**Caleb**

I paced up and down the living room of the Searcher's cabin we were staying in. Apparently it was one of their old hideouts that wasn't in use anymore but for our purposes, it worked wonderfully. Lily lounged on the couch watching television. She seemed unperturbed which surprised me considering it was Spencer. They had grown so much closer ever since our compound was attacked. I thought she'd be more worried.

"Caleb, stop pacing, you're going to wear the floor down so much you're going to fall into the basement," she said.

"He should've been home by now," I said.

"He texted us both saying he was going to be late. Relax. If anything bad was happening, Spencer would tell us." At that moment, I heard the familiar sound of a Kawasaki motorcycle coming up the driveway. I ran out onto the front porch to see Spencer turning the motor off. He took off his helmet and smiled at me.

"Hey Caleb," he greeted.

"What took you so long? You said you were going to be late but I didn't think four hours late," I said.

Spencer scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't know it'd take that long. Your sister is taking ballroom classes as well and I needed a way to stay to watch her and her partner for the tango competition broke his leg. Tripped over his cat or something foolish like that so I offered to take his place. I had to get caught up in where they are in the dance."

"Next time can you shoot me a text that says you're going to be even later or something? I thought something happened to you."

"Yeah, it'll be normal times tomorrow. And then once Elsa starts class, it'll be later in the day. That okay?"

"Yeah, as long as you keep an eye on her and tell me if anything changes time-wise."

"Deal."

"Told you he was fine," Lily remarked, coming up to hug her second. We shared him as a second now since Lily had lost Callie as hers. I don't think Spencer minded. He was always close with Lily so it came naturally to him to follow her orders.

"Was he worrying about me or something?"

"Would not stop pacing for the last hour. You can probably see his tracks in the house."

"Aw, isn't he cute?"

"Oh shut it you two. Come on, someone needs to help me get dinner started," I pointed out. Spencer offered to do so, giving Lily the day off. When he and I entered the kitchen, I said, "So how is she? She doing okay?"

"I don't know if it's just because she doesn't know me or if it's just the way she acts, but she was really quiet. Not like in a rude sort of way, just… quiet. But she was really nice to me when she did talk. She certainly acts like a Laroche, with the head-held-high thing and the way all the humans are terrified of her.

"Humans are terrified of Guardians in general," I laughed. "What else? Were any other pack members there?"

"There were two others I think. Their names were like… Riles and Th- The- something that started with a 'th'. Know who I'm talking about?" Spencer grabbed the milk out of the fridge, pouring himself a big glass.

"Riley Hess and Thea Fray. Riley is my dad's second's son. Thea is Sam Fray's daughter. Sam is one of the twins I told you about. Did they suspect anything?"

"No, but they kept a careful watch on Elsa. And me when I was with her. Your sister is good at hiding things, but I know she knew they were watching her, and I can tell it was bugging her."

I sighed. "I'm sure my parents have become even more overprotective since I left. Elsa was always independent, even when Anna was alive. I'm sure that hasn't changed. All right, what do you want for dinner?"

"Let's do something easy. Spaghetti?" Spencer suggested.

"Sounds good. Let's do it. You make the noodles. I'll make the sauce."

* * *

**Hunter**

I was lounging on the couch with Josilyn sitting in my lap when Elsa came in. My sister was smiling to herself. I loved seeing her that way, but it also made me wonder who was causing that smile on her face.

"Hey Elsa," I called out as she tried to sneak upstairs without being seen.

She turned around. "Hey, what's up?"

"How was dance?"

"It was great! My dance partner for ballroom broke his leg but now I have a new one who is so much better! I'm still able to go to the competition in December now."

"That's fantastic. And that new dance partner of yours wouldn't happen to be the reason why you have a smile on your face that goes from ear to ear?"

"Hunter, leave her alone," Josilyn scolded. "So what if her dance partner is making her smile? That's a good thing!"

"Thank you Josilyn," Elsa said. "Well if you don't mind, I'm going to go take a shower before dinner. I've been dancing all day and I feel gross. I'll see you later."

My sister ran up the stairs to her room. I could hear her shuffling around. Something was different about her today. I wanted to know exactly why. I wasn't complaining. I mean I hadn't seen Elsa smile like that in a long time. But I wanted to know who was causing it. I wasn't going to let just anyone date my sister.

"Hunter, stop thinking about it," Josilyn said, poking me gently in the chest.

"Stop thinking about what?" I asked, looking at her.

"About what's making Elsa smile. Be happy that she's happy, okay?"

"I know. Listen, I was supposed to clean my room before my parents got home from being at the hotel so I need to run and do that. I'll see you later?"

Josie kissed me on the tip of my nose, telling me she would. We stood up and I pulled her up against me, giving her a kiss on the lips.

"What was that for?" She breathed.

"Well what was that kiss on the nose?" I countered. She gave me a chaste kiss.

"There? Happy?"

"Very much so. You should get going. Your dad gets suspicious when you're with me too long." Josilyn laughed as she left. I waited until she was in her house before I snuck over to see Thea. That I forgot to clean my room was a total lie; I cleaned my room a long time ago.

Thea's mom, Casey, answered. She didn't question me as I asked to go see her daughter. I knocked politely on her door. She opened it practically immediately.

"Hey, Hunter, what's up?" Thea inquired, moving aside so I could come in.

"I need to talk to you," I said, entering her room and shutting the door. "Elsa's new dance partner. Who is he?"

"Don't know. Didn't catch his name. He's really good though, and they make a good team. They're already entering the tango competition in Denver in December. Hugh broke his leg so she was without a partner but the new guy offered to take his place. Like, almost immediately."

"He wasn't scared of you?"

"No, so obviously no one's told him about the hierarchy we have here. He'll learn soon enough. If he tries to do anything, Elsa will put him in his place."

"You know she's soft with the humans," I commented.

"Yeah, but she also knows where they stand and where she stands. We are above them. She gets that," Thea said. She started taking off her shirt. I quickly turned my head. She was way too liberal around the rest of us. I mean, there was absolutely nothing going on between me and her but I still felt guilty and uncomfortable if I looked at any shirtless girl (unless it was Josilyn but that hadn't happened yet).

"So what exactly do you want me to do? Because you don't just come here and ask about a new guy and then shut up about it."

"Put him in his place. Let him know who runs this town and if he puts a toe out of line, he'll have an alpha to answer to," I told her firmly.

"And if Elsa defends him?"

"Remind her who she is. She's not supposed to be fraternizing with humans. They can go to school with her, they can dance with her, but they cannot be with her. None of them are Guardians. None of them will ever be Guardians."

"Aye, aye, Captain. I'll tell Riley for you." Thea saluted me.

"Thank you. I gotta go. Mom and dad will be home soon." I hurriedly went back to my house. Elsa and Ember still weren't downstairs so they had no idea what I just did. Elsa would kill me if she found out I put Thea and Riley up to protecting her because she felt like she didn't need protecting. I knew better though. And under no circumstances would I allow myself to lose another sibling.

"Hello?" My mom's voice rang out through the house.

I entered the kitchen where she and my dad were placing groceries on the counter. My mom smiled at me. "Hey Hunter, have a good day?"

"Yeah, how was yours?"

"Long. Had to do some firing today at the hotel. It did not go well."

"But they dared not try and argue with you," my dad said. "I'll cook dinner tonight. You go relax."

"Oh nonsense. I'll help. Hunter, where are your sisters?"

"I think they're both upstairs."

"I was. I'm not anymore. And Ember is at the McKays I think," Elsa piped up, coming into the kitchen.

"With Noah no doubt," I added.

"What's going on with those two? Are they dating or not?"

"We are not dating," Ember said as she came into the house. "Hi mom, hi dad."

"You two should. You're cute together," my mom remarked. "Listen, why don't you three go hang out in the living room while your dad and I get dinner started?"

My sisters and I listened. We collapsed onto the couch with me in the middle. I turned to Ember with a grin on my face and said, "So. Noah."

"What about him?"

"How's that 'friends with benefits' thing with him going?"

Ember's eyes widened. "How did you guess that?"

"Because his scent is all over you and I mean _all _over you. So unless you two were just laying on top of each other, there's no other explanation."

"Well for your information, it's going splendidly well. No strings attached, nothing. It's nice not to worry about things like cheating because neither of us cares. But what about you Hunter? How are things with you Josilyn? You can't tell me you two haven't done anything."

"We haven't actually. You know how Josilyn is. She's the most innocent of the entire pack next to Elsa. I'm not going to push her to do it. If she ever wants to go beyond making out, I gladly will but I'm going to wait for her to bring it up. So, Elsa, any guys you're interested in?"

"A, you know the answer to that. B, I don't like you're tone in the way you asked that because you're definitely insinuating I'm seeing someone which I'm not, and C, why are you so interested in my love life?" My sister snapped.

"A, maybe I don't. B, I am insinuating something after the way I saw you smiling when you came home from dance, and C, I'm your big brother. I want to make sure that whatever guy you choose is worthy of you."

"I can take care of myself and I can choose a guy for myself," Elsa said firmly. She got up and added, "Call me down when dinner is ready."

She went upstairs, leaving me and Ember with raised eyebrows. Our little sister didn't usually get so defensive about this stuff. It made me wonder but any train of thought on the subject was interrupted by the smell of garlic. Every thought in my brain turned to food until dinner was ready.

Just as my parents were about to serve dinner, we heard our front door open. Loren and Shiloh strode into our kitchen. Instantly my parents were on alert. Their seconds didn't just come barging in at dinner time for nothing."

"What's wrong?" My mom demanded.

Loren answered. "We have a problem. There's a new pack of wolves in town."

* * *

**Review please :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**We'll figure this out. They won't hurt you. I won't let them."  
****~Ren, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 10

**Elsa**

The next dance class I had, I planned on Spencer being my partner, at least for hip hop. That didn't happen. Riley told me he was going to be with me today. I saw Thea go for Spencer and immediately knew my brother had put them up to something. Thea and Riley were fine with Spencer last time so someone had convinced them to act this way, and considering my parents didn't know him, the only person I could think of was Hunter. It ticked me off to put it nicely. However, I put on blank expression and went through with the lesson. Riley kept me talking the entire time, seeming genuinely interested in what was going on in my life. I mean, he kind of knew already simply because of the sheer fact he lived next door to me. I tried to listen in on whatever Thea was saying to Spencer but due to the loudness of the music, that turned out to be impossible.

At the end of the lesson, I grabbed my water bottle and bag and headed over to Spencer. He gave me his beautiful, million-dollar smile. "Hey Elsa."

"Hey, how are you?" I asked.

"I'm doing well. And you? Ready to tango?"

"I'm pretty well and yes, I'm always ready. Especially now that I have a dance partner who can keep up," I laughed.

"Hey Elsa," Thea said, butting into the conversation. "Ready for lunch?"

"I didn't know we were going to lunch," I said.

"I told you about it while we were dancing," Riley remarked, coming to stand next to Spencer who was starting to appear confused at the suddenness of my pack mates entrance into the conversation.

"I don't remember you telling me that."

"You were probably too focused on dancing. Hunter and Josilyn are meeting us at Poppy's and you know he'll question why you're not there," Thea pointed out.

"Then tell him I have another dance class in an hour and I can't possibly get to Poppy's and eat lunch in that amount of time. I'll grab something quick from Subway or something but I'm not having a sit-down meal. Tell him I'm sorry, okay?" I said, trying to hide the annoyance in my tone.

"He's not going to like that Elsa. You know he doesn't like anyone in the pack being alone."

"Pack?" Spencer queried.

"Oh, sorry, that's what we refer to ourselves as. See, we're a pretty big family, but not necessarily blood-related. Our family runs this town though. Our hotel brings in most of the tourists because it's so famous," Riley explained.

"I'm going to assume you're a powerful family then?"

"Oh yeah. Most powerful in town which I mean, isn't hard, but we're also one of the most powerful families in Colorado, which _is_ saying something. You really don't want to mess with our family," my pack mate said with a grin. He may've been smiling, but no one could miss the threatening undertone.

"All right, I think he gets the picture Riles. You two should get going. You know Hunter is impatient. He's better with Josilyn around but he's still Hunter," I said.

"You sure you'll be okay?" Thea questioned.

"It's me. I'm a kickass black-belt. I'll be fine," I insisted. My two pack members hesitantly left me. I breathed a sigh of relief. The mission my brother had given them was pretty clear: scare Spencer. Whether it was to actually scare him off for good or to just make sure he knows he's below us, I was still working out. But it was still obvious.

"I'm getting the impression you and your brother have a strained relationship?" Spencer said softly.

"It's not so much that it's strained, it's just he and my entire family are way overprotective of me. But I was serious about wanting Subway. Want to join?"

"Why not? And why are they overprotective?"

I snorted humorlessly. "We're the Laroches. If you want to read about our private life, go on the internet. It's all there."

"I have a feeling you don't like being in the spotlight."

"Not for the spotlight we've been in. I want to be famous, not infamous. Although I think that wish has gone down the gutter. Come on, let's go, I'm starving!" I insisted. Spencer held the door open for me and I led the way to lunch.

* * *

**Thea**

When Josilyn left to go to the bathroom, Hunter turned his anger onto me and Riley. "So you just let Elsa stay by herself at the dance studio?"

"She said she was going to Subway probably. I mean it's Elsa, she can handle herself. She probably invited Spencer. The guy is pretty buff and strong looking and he seems nice enough so if anything happened to her, he'd try and protect her," I said.

"I'm assuming you taught him who runs the show in this town?"

"Of course," Riley replied. "He seemed unfazed. I mean he seemed to understand but he obviously doesn't realize just how strong we are."

"Unless he knows exactly what we are and is trying to infiltrate us," Hunter remarked.

"You think he's a Hunter? I thought your parents got rid of them?"

"They got rid of a couple but those weren't the only ones out there. Our family is infamous among humans and Hunters. A lot of Hunters are ex-Keepers. They know damn well who we are and I can assure you they want us gone. I'm just wondering why they haven't tried to attack us since Anna… you'd think they'd try to get rid of us again."

"You think they're going to try again?" I asked worriedly.

"One day. I just don't know when," he answered. "Quiet. Josilyn is coming. We'll continue this discussion later. In the meantime, keep working on making sure Spencer knows his place."

Riley and I nodded.

The rest of the meal went by pleasantly. When Riley and I headed back to the dance studio, we found Elsa with Spencer. I felt my mouth drop open as he flipped her onto her back. She quickly countered by doing a kip up, vaulting herself onto her feet from her back. At first I thought they were actually fighting, but I quickly realized they were simply sparring. Elsa feinted a punch, ducked under his block and kicked him in the back of the knee. He went down. She gripped his neck in her arm. He flipped her over his head, making her yelp from surprise.

"What're you doing?" Riley asked, walking into the room.

Elsa and Spencer looked over at us. The latter helped his downed partner stand up. He was actually the one that answered. "We're killing time before our lesson. It got held up by some irate parents over something we did not listen in on."

"I learned that Spencer had been learning to fight so I put him to the test. That was our third round of sparring," Elsa chimed in.

"One I was beating you at," he said.

"After I beat you the first time. And I would've beaten you this time too had we not been interrupted," she countered. Turning to us with a smile, she asked, "How was lunch?"

"Good. Hunter's mad that you weren't there though," I said.

"He'll get over it. So what are you guys doing here? You guys have no more lessons today."

"Well you _are_ our ride home," Riley pointed out.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that. Can you entertain yourselves for the next hour and a half?"

"Actually we were hoping we could get the keys and drive home and come back down and pick you up?"

"That's such a waste of gas though. I mean we can afford it but I'd rather not waste it. Gas is so expensive right now."

"I can give you a ride home," Spencer offered. "If you don't mind riding a motorcycle."

Elsa looked at him. "I would but I don't trust these two to drive my car. They both suck at driving."

"Hey!" Riley and I protested. Spencer chuckled.

"Thank you though, for the offer. Maybe another time," Elsa said sincerely.

"Sorry about that you two," Mrs. Ulman said as she entered the room. Her face was flushed and I could tell she was still angry after whoever she'd talked to.

"Everything okay?" Elsa queried.

"Oh, just some parents who are unable to comprehend that their child is not up to the standards required for the dance competition and are therefore unable to go. Anyways, are you two ready?"

"Yes ma'am."

The teacher turned to us. "You two want to try?"

"Oh no, I don't tango," Riley said, throwing up his hands.

"But we'd love to watch," I piped up. "Besides, it's not like we can go anywhere because _someone_ has trust issues."

"I only have trust issues when it comes to you two maniacs driving my car," Elsa argued.

"All right, enough bickering. Let's get started," Mrs. Ulman insisted. The two dancers took each other's hands and got in starting position. Riley and I sat in the corner to watch.

* * *

**Hunter**

When I got back to the compound after lunch, my mom called for me to come into the office. Both Loren and Shiloh were there along with my dad. My dad looked highly troubled which made me worry. It took a lot to make my dad anxious about something.

"What's wrong?" I asked sitting down. I was pretty sure what it was because after the two betas had come into our house last night saying there was a new pack in town, all the adults were on edge. My parents had called the Dorans in Vail to see if they were making an impromptu visit, but they declared they were still in Vail and had had no intentions of coming to Estes Park. Now the question was: who are the new wolves?

"We need to debrief you on everything that's going on," my mom said.

"Is it about the new wolf pack? Because I know everything. I was there when Loren and Shiloh were talking about it," I told her.

"That's not all…" Her face grew dark. Bad news was about to happen.

"You're the future alpha of this pack so you need to know ahead of time so you can mentally wrap your head around this before we break the news to everyone else," my dad said.

"What do you mean?"

"One of the members from the new wolf pack called. I don't know how she got our number since we're not in the phonebook but that's beside the point. The point is she called giving us a warning. If it's true, then our pack is about to get involved in another war."

"War?! What do you mean _war_?" I demanded.

"The people that murdered half our pack, the people that murdered Anna, we dealt a lethal blow to them when went after them, but apparently not lethal enough. They've been regrouping, creating more dangerous weapons. I've already alerted the Searchers to what's going on. They're going to be sending some people here to investigate. But we're going to be going on extra patrols and in bigger numbers. This includes sending out Josilyn."

"But Ren-" Shiloh began.

My mother held up her hand. "We're going to keep her on the path closest to the compound so if she needs to come home for any reason, she'll be able to get there as quickly as possible. But this is war. We need every hand on deck with this one. We're not losing anyone else." Shiloh fell silent but I could tell he didn't like it. _I _didn't like it. Josilyn would hate it. "She'll be with Elsa, Thea, and Dmitri. They're all strong fighters. They can protect her if anything happens."

"When are we breaking the news to them?" I questioned, leaning back in my chair.

"Tonight. After dinner. It's a pack meeting that everyone is required to be there. The adults already know."

"Did the person who called from the pack, did they say their name?"

"No. It was a girl. That was all I could tell. She was very secretive and to the point. Very blunt come to think of it. The call was made from a payphone so we couldn't trace who made the call. We're working on it though. We want to meet this new wolf pack."

"There's something else, isn't there?"

This time my dad answered. "It's a new rule we're implementing, one that the more free-spirited kids aren't going to enjoy."

"So Elsa, Dmitri, Thea, Jake, and Riley," I said.

"Pretty much. From tonight onwards, no one leaves the compound unless they're with someone else. It's for everyone's protection."

"Yeah, they're all going to hate that."

"You're going to have to help enforce it."

"That'll be so much fun," I grunted. "All right, I mean I obviously don't have a choice but I'm in."

"Good. Now, you're going with your mom on patrol. Go get ready," my dad ordered. I nodded and left the room. I almost headed up to my room but at the last minute, went to see Josilyn in her garden. Or at least that's where I assumed she'd be. I was right. She was trimming a rose bush. She turned around when she heard me coming.

"Hey you," she greeted. "What's got you all flustered?"

"Just had a meeting with my parents," I said.

"And? Is everything okay?"

"No. Not really. Everything is going to be explained tonight but I just wanted to come tell you that no matter what happens, I'm going to be there to protect you."

"Hunter, you're scaring me. What's happening?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

I pulled her into a hug, kissing her on the head. "You'll find out tonight. But I like I said. I'm going to be there to protect you. I promise."

* * *

**And there's the next chapter! I really should be studying for my management test I have in an hour but I needed to de-stress and this was a good way to do it. Review please :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**I can't stop writing this story. I just want to get to the big parts and I can't until I write these soooo you people who are actually reading (but I don't know if any are except for because NO ONE IS REVIEWING- no hard feelings) get a lot of updates.**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**All I am is less than I was. And I can't ever be more."  
**_**~Bloodrose**_

* * *

Chapter 11

**Josilyn**

When Arya and Ren announced a pack meeting, I was even more worried about what was going on than when Hunter had told me what he had in the garden. I wanted to panic when I was told that the meeting was mandatory for everyone. I didn't attend pack meetings. Most of it had to do with hunting, and I was not that type of Guardian. I couldn't kill an animal, I just couldn't. Everyone else could though, and it was times like those that made me feel weak, that made me feel below them. Oh I'd tried. I'd tried to do what they did but I couldn't kill an animal, and my heart failed me in endurance. I could barely go on one short patrol without getting winded in the first fifteen minutes.

I sat next to Elsa on the couch along with Ember and Noah. Riley and Thea shared the love seat. Dmitri sat in the plush chair with Gracie and Akira sitting on the arms, flanking him. Sebastian, Barry, Laurel, Diana, Jake, and Oliver sat on the floor. The adults stood behind us all. Hunter leaned against the fireplace, arms crossed. Shadows danced across his face which resulted from the light of the fire. I could see how worried he was earlier, but the shadows amplified that for some reason.

"There's no way to sugarcoat what I'm about to tell you so I'm going to come out and say it: we're being hunted. Again. We don't know where the Hunters are, who they are, when they're going to strike, but we know they're back. Earlier, Loren and Shiloh discovered the scent of a new wolf pack. A little while later, a girl from that pack called telling us what I'm telling you. She said they'd killed some of her pack and that the remainder of her pack had tracked them here. The Hunters are biding their time and waiting for a time to strike against us. They never do the same thing twice. They switch it up so we never know what to expect. Therefore we don't need to worry about our houses exploding or them breaking into our house. On the other hand, starting today, no one leaves this compound without a partner. If you go somewhere, you tell an adult where you're going and you take someone with you," Ren ordered.

"Dad, what about dance? I'm not going to force Thea and Riley to wait for three hours at dance for me to be done with my lessons," Elsa argued. "The Hunters like to make a statement but they're not stupid. They don't want to be caught by police which is why they won't attack any of us when we're in public."

"We don't know that so unless someone else joins you in your later dance class, they're going to stay with you," my father growled.

"Or maybe I can have my dance partner drive me back up here. I trust him."

"I don't so Elsa, no more arguments." My friend's nostrils flared but she stayed quiet. I knew that she wasn't going to listen. She had that look in her eyes.

"Furthermore, we'll be going on more hunts. All of us, including you Josilyn," Ren continued.

"W-what?" I stammered.

"We have patrols scheduled for each and every one of you. There's no way out of these either. Each patrol will have someone as the alpha of that pack. Whatever they say, you listen to them. There's no arguments with these. Arya and I put them these ways for a reason. Any questions?"

"When are we going to go after them?" Elsa queried.

"After who?"

"The Hunters."

"When we get a lead on them. We've already contacted the Searcher's. They're working on it. And when we do find out, the adults are going to go after them," my father answered. His and Elsa's matching blue eyes glinted with the same hidden anger.

"Why can't we go?"

"Because I don't want any of you getting hurt, or worse, killed."

"I want to fight if you guys do," Ember chimed in.

"I do if she does," Noah said. The oldest Laroche daughter gave him a surprised look. I guess she hadn't expected him to say that. I knew for Ember, the friends with benefits thing was just that and nothing more. But my brother felt differently and she had no idea.

"We're warriors. We should embrace what we are," Dmitri said.

"I'm not going to sit around and wait to see my family killed or be killed myself. I want to fight," Gracie added. By then, all the kids were saying how they wanted to join the hunt for the Hunters. I could see Elsa was pleased with herself because now her dad was in a tight spot. Hunter hadn't said a word. He remained in his place. He appeared pretty torn. He wanted to do what his dad wanted him to, but he wanted to do what his future pack wanted him to do. It was a tough decision.

It was Arya who calmed everyone down. "We'll consider it. Depending on how the investigation goes, if we feel like we can't handle it between us and the Searchers, then we will allow you to fight, but you would be following our strict rules. That's the end of that discussion. Now come up and find out your patrol assignments."

The kids rushed up. I stayed seated on the couch until the crowd died down. I ended up with Elsa, Dmitri, and Thea. I knew they'd put me with either Hunter, Elsa, or Noah. I was closest with those three. They at least wanted me to have someone I was close with which I appreciated despite the fact that I really did not want go on patrols.

"You okay?" Hunter asked softly, coming up to me.

"Not really. I'm scared I'll hold everyone up on our patrols. I'm scared that something is going to happen to one of us at any moment," I admitted.

"I'm trying to talk to my parents. I'm trying to get you out of it. My mom should understand. She's always there with you at your doctor appointments so she knows your heart can't handle it."

"I wish it could. I wish I wasn't this weak," I said, on the verge of tears.

"Hey, if you can put up with me, then you are far from weak," he said with a grin. "Don't fret over this. We'll get it worked out. For now, why don't we eat some ice cream and watch a movie? You choose tonight."

"That sounds nice."

"All right. I'll get the ice cream. I'll meet you up in my room." Hunter kissed me on the head and entered the kitchen. The other pack members had dispersed. I saw Elsa having a heated discussion with her father. Both their faces were red. I didn't want to eavesdrop but sometimes being a Guardian, your advanced hearing doesn't give you much of a choice. I waited on the stairs for Hunter as I listened in.

"Don't you ever challenge my authority in front of the pack again," Ren warned.

"You're mad that I made a point that the others agreed with," Elsa fired back.

"Why are you so adamant in wanting to fight these murderers? You may be a black belt but you are still untrained in the art of war."

"Because they killed Anna! And I want my sister's killers to come to justice, whether that's by apprehending them or by killing them."

"You are not a killer. Killing a person changes you. You are not the same afterwards. Ask me, ask your mother, ask Shiloh or Loren. Hell, ask any of the adults."

"I'm not eight years old! I'm seventeen going on eighteen and I know that I'm not old enough to understand a lot of things but I do understand the fact that we're being hunted by the people who killed half our pack, who killed Anna which in turn tormented Caleb so much that he ran off. They have caused so much pain for our family and I want to return the favor to them."

"What has gotten into you?" Ren hissed.

"I've lost my sister and my big brother. That's what's happened."

"So have Ember and Hunter, but you don't see them suggesting ways to get themselves killed!"

"I'm not Ember and Hunter. They were always closer to each other than they were to Anna and Caleb. I lost my twin sister. I lost my other half and the only one I could ever gain any comfort from after that was from Caleb and now he's gone too. So you ask me why I've changed."

"Elsa, go up to your room. We'll talk later," Arya said gently. I was about to be in a really awkward situation if my friend realized I'd been eavesdropping. Thankfully Hunter got to me before her. She brushed past us, completely ignoring us.

"I thought I told you to go upstairs?" Hunter asked, looking confused.

"I, uh…"

"Were you listening in?"

"Maybe…"

"I'm teaching you bad habits," he said with a grin. "What happened?"

"I think Anna's death and Caleb leaving have troubled her more than we thought. Maybe you should talk to her later?" I said.

"I'll give her time to cool down. She won't be willing to talk now if she's just been arguing with dad."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Now come on, let's go watch the movie." Hunter led me upstairs and we cuddled in his bed.

* * *

**Elsa**

I waited until I heard my parents shut their bedroom door before leaving my room. I hurriedly and noiselessly slipped out of the house. Once in the woods I bolted. I knew exactly where I was going. I'd been going there since Caleb left because it was the only person I could talk to without feeling totally weak and powerless, someone I knew would listen to me.

I came to a sliding stop in front of her headstone. It was black granite with white flakes that sparkled in the right light. Her name was engraved in cursive along with her birth and death date and her age. I placed my hand on the top of the headstone and took a deep breath.

"Hi Anna. I'm sorry I haven't been to talk to you in a while. I've been busy with dance and school is starting. My senior year. I can't believe it's actually here. I can't believe I've been without you for almost a decade now… I wish you were here to enjoy it with me. I know I say this every time I come but it's not the same without you here. I miss you so badly. I miss having a partner in crime. The closest one I have now is Ember and Josilyn but the first is too busy with Noah because they have a friends with benefits thing going on. Did I tell you about that? I can't remember. I probably have. I tell you everything. I think she's starting to like him as more but I don't dare ask. It's not my business, and the arrangement makes her happy. I don't want her to think Noah likes her in a way that is more than a friends with benefits way if he doesn't because that could make things so awkward for them. I mean it's not true that I know of, but still. And then Josilyn is Josilyn. She's such a great listener but as someone for a partner in crime with, it just doesn't work. Hunter is too caught up in being alpha and with Caleb gone… you're the only one left that I feel I can talk to. I feel like I don't fit in with the family any more. I'm not planning on leaving or doing anything so stupid that I'll get myself killed but it hurts Anna. Dad and I are arguing almost every day. He's become so overprotective of me and I get it. He fears that he'll lose another kid which is understandable. But if he wanted to keep me safe, then he should've kept me ignorant. He shouldn't have told me that the Hunters are after us. Those people… they're the reason you're dead and I promise you they'll pay. I miss you so much Anna. I know you're watching over us, all of us, and I know we've talked in dreams, but it's been a while. It'd be nice to talk like that again. I love you sister." My voice cracked at the end. I bit my lip to hold back my tears but it didn't work. One by one, I felt the tears fall down on my face and before I knew it, I was straight up bawling my eyes out. I brought my knees up to my chest and buried my head. Even though I was totally and completely alone out here, I didn't want anything to see me cry.

"Hey," someone whispered. I jumped in fright but calmed down when I realized it was just Hunter. I quickly looked away.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, sniffing and rubbing my face. Just one moment's peace is all I wanted…

"Josilyn might've overheard your argument with dad. She told me I should talk to you. I wanted to let you calm down before I did so," he said, sitting down next to me. He stared at Anna's grave in silence for a few moments before he spoke. "You two were always so full of life. You brought this light to the pack, even after the Hunters killed half our pack. You two, somehow, understood the severity of the situation but rather than sulk like the rest of us, you tried to make everyone laugh. Even though you were younger, Anna always followed your lead. But the both of you always managed to get everyone to listen to you. I remember making jokes with Caleb, more than once, that maybe you two were the real alphas and not me and him. Then, when Anna passed, it was like that light left you Elsa. You changed and it hurt me to see it because I felt like I couldn't help you. I knew I couldn't. Somehow Caleb did. I wish I could talk to him now so I could him how he did it so I could help you now. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not here to tell you everything's going to be okay because I don't know that. I don't know what all you said to Anna just now, and I know you won't tell me. I'm here because you simply need someone. I'm not Caleb. You and I are not near as close as you and him were. But if you ever need anything, I am _always _here for you Elsa. No matter what."

"I miss her so much," I sobbed, leaning into him. My brother wrapped his arms around me and for the first time since Caleb left, I let a family member see me cry. I let them know just how much pain I was in over everything. I wasn't going to tell Hunter everything. He had enough problems becoming alpha, learning how to run a pack. Ember wouldn't know how to handle the information. Mom and dad… I just felt like they had more serious problems, i.e. worrying about making sure no one else in our pack was killed by the Hunters. But at the same time, I knew Hunter needed no explanation. He got that I was upset over Anna and Caleb. He got that maybe some things did not want to be said and I appreciated that more than I can explain.

"You've always been so strong for everyone else, Elsa. That's what I love so much about you. You always try and put everyone else's safety before you own. Dad knows that too. It's why he's so protective of you, because mom was the same way and that almost got her killed multiple times. He doesn't want you to be killed doing that. I went and talked to him about your dance lessons, about letting you stay there by yourself. After lots of convincing, I managed to get him to let you drive to and from dance by yourself but without any detours along the way. None at all. Can you do that?"

I pulled back and looked at him in disbelief. "You did that for me?"

"Hey, I agree with you that dad is way overprotective of you. And while I whole-heartedly understand his reasoning, I also know that you need some freedom. Dance is your one escape from the craziness of our family. It's hard to find a place to be away from it all. You've found a way. I'm not going to let him take that away from you," Hunter said, giving me a comforting smile.

"I love you," I said, hugging him.

"I love you too. What do you say we say good night to Anna and go back home? I've already eaten a tub of ice cream but I could always eat another with you. We can watch stupid YouTube videos," my brother proposed.

I laughed. "Thanks, but I'm okay. You need to get back to Josilyn. But another time. Definitely."

"All right. But let's head home, okay?" he helped me up. We brushed the dirt off ourselves and started walking back home.

"Hey Hunter?" I queried.

"Hmm?"

"Is there any chance you can stop your plan of having Thea and Riley scare Spencer into submission or whatever it is you're having them do?"

"He's a freak for not being terrified of us," he said.

"That doesn't answer my question."

It was Hunter who laughed this time. "One thing of freedom at a time little sister."

"So that's a no?" I groaned.

He ruffled my hair. "That's a no."

* * *

**So that was kind of a depressing chapter that I did not intend to write. Oops. Oh well, hope you enjoyed :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you to SACarter for wonderful review last chapter (note the sarcasm even though I do appreciate it and it did make me laugh). Therefore you get another chapter.**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**It's been a pleasure, she-wolf."  
****~Shay Doran, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 12

**Elsa**

Over the course of the next couple months, my life became hectic between balancing school, dance, and pack duties. I had no time for myself but at the same time, I felt much better ever since I'd talked to Hunter. My relationship with dad improved tenfold. Mom and I became closer than we already were, and Ember and I hung out more. For the first time in a while, I felt like I belonged with my family, that I didn't always have to be so strong.

I was more talkative to everyone, even to people I had never met before. Conversations with Spencer, while they had always been entertaining before, they'd become even better. But I started to notice something in him because it was what Hunter had noticed in me: he was hiding something that was bothering him.

Neither Spencer nor I talked much about our family, and I was pretty sure he'd looked into my family after Thea and Riley started trying to intimidate him. Funny thing was he seemed unfazed by their efforts. Whether that's because he was really just ignorant about what they were warning him of or if he didn't care, I don't know, but it was kind of refreshing to have a human who wasn't dead scare of me at first sight.

I was in the middle of AP Psychology when my stomach growled loudly. I guiltily looked around to see if anyone else heard it. Unless the kid sleeping in the desk next to me heard it, I was going to go with no. I pulled out my phone and started to text Spencer, asking him if he knew if we were trying on our tango outfits today. He responded almost immediately saying that we were. I was ecstatic! For me, whenever I think about the tango, I think of the color red. But while we were going to use red in the outfit, it wasn't going to be the main color. My instructor wanted my dress black with red crystals sewn into it. I couldn't wait to try it on! I replied to Spencer saying thank you and put my phone back in my pocket only to have it vibrate a few seconds later. I pulled it out and read the text:

_From: Spencer- Aren't you in class?_

I hurriedly replied back.

_To: Spencer- Yeah, AP Psych. It's so boring today. I usually love it too. Although I might be too hungry to focus…_

_From: Spencer- When is lunch?_

_To: Spencer- In an hour. I'm hoping I can wait that long and that my growling stomach doesn't wake up the kid next to me…_

_From: Spencer- Haha do you want me to come bail you out?_

_To: Spencer- No but thank you :)_

_From: Spencer- What's for lunch today?_

_To: Spencer- Hopefully not a mystery meat sandwich. I might leave and drag Thea with me to get take-away from somewhere._

_From: Spencer- Do you want me to bring you lunch?_

_To: Spencer- Oh no that's too much trouble for you but thank you!_

_From: Spencer- It's no trouble at all, I'm in town anyway. What do you want? :)_

_To: Spencer- You're my favorite person right now. Could you pick me up a burger from Dairy Queen along with a large twist ice cream? Ice cream sounds so good right now. I'll pay you back too!_

_From: Spencer- You're not paying me back, it's my treat. Since there's only one high school in the area, I'm going to assume that's where you go?_

_To: Spencer- How on earth did you figure that one out? Haha yeah, that's the school. I'll see you in an hour. Thank you so much! You're the best!_

_From: Spencer- Any time! See you soon!_

I slipped my phone in pocket and was unable to keep a small smile off my face the rest of the class period. When the bell rang dismissing us, I was the first one out the door. I quickly shoved stuff into my locker and took out the things I needed before Thea and Josilyn came over. I made my way downstairs and to the front door of the school. Spencer, looking totally gorgeous with his cropped blonde hair and leather jacket, was waiting for me outside the office, Dairy Queen bag and ice cream in hand. He was getting so many stares from the girls that walked past that I suddenly felt… almost territorial about him. But if he saw any of them, he gave no indication. His eyes were only on me. We both were smiling as I walked up and hugged him.

"You're the best dance partner anyone could ask for," I claimed, taking the food from him.

"I see you survived AP Psychology," he said with a grin.

"Only because I had you and food to look forward to. I only have one more class after this thank god."

"Block schedule?"

"Yeah. I don't have a class at the beginning of the day or at the end so I have half days every other day. It's wonderful."

"What do you do with the extra time in the afternoon?"

"Work on homework."

"Do you ever have any time to relax?" Spencer laughed. "You're always on the go, aren't you?"

"I like to keep moving."

"Don't you ever just… want to have a day to relax though?"

I shrugged. "I have my reasons. I should get going. Josilyn and Thea are going to be coming down soon and it's better if they don't see you. I mean Josie is harmless but Thea…"

"Will try to scare me away like she keeps trying to do in hip hop?"

"I've tried to get her to stop. I'm so sorry," I said, giving him a guilty look.

He smiled. "I know where I stand in this town. The Laroches run it."

"So why aren't you high-tailing away from us?" I queried.

"The enjoyment I get from hanging out and talking to you is higher than the fear of your family. What are you doing on Saturday?" I had patrols all day that day. I made up a lie saying that it was family day and that I had to stay home. "What about Sunday?"

"It's complicated… my dad doesn't like us hanging out with strangers. I'd say you could come meet him but he's not the most rational being right now. Why?"

"I was thinking we could hang out. And just as friends if that's any consolation to your dad," Spencer said. I bit my lip. The invitation was so tempting. I wanted to get to know Spencer, the details of him. I knew what he liked, what he didn't, but I still felt like I didn't know _him_. I wanted to.

"He's keeping us on pretty strict lockdown but I guess it depends on what time you were thinking."

"Afternoon?"

"You know what? I'll make up something. Count me in. But don't mention it in front of Thea or Riley at dance. If my brother finds out, I'm screwed. Possibly dead. You would definitely be dead."

"My lips are sealed. I'll see you later, Elsa." Spencer gave me one last hug. Right as he exited the door, Josilyn and Thea came up to me.

"How on earth did you get Dairy Queen?" Thea demanded jealously.

"Had a friend bring it. Come on, let's get to our table before some human tries to take it. Hopefully the others are already there." Sure enough, Laurel, Barry, Akira, and Sebastian were waiting for us at our usual table. I was sort of the pack leader at school at school now. Not because I was oldest, but because I had the attitude. And probably because I was a Laroche.

"How on earth did you get Dairy Queen?" Barry whined, looking hungrily at my ice cream.

"Had a friend bring it. How's your day been?" I asked, wanting to get off the subject of my lunch.

"Good. Who brought your lunch for you?" Sebastian asked.

"My dance partner. He was in town and I was texting him. End of story. Who has patrol tonight?"

"I do with Akira, Ember, and Jake. Ember's our 'alpha' of the pack. You're the alpha for your patrol group right?"

"Yeah. I'm on Saturdays and Wednesdays." The group started splitting off into different conversations after that. Akira was talking to Thea, but mainly listening to the latter speak whatever was on her mind. Akira didn't speak much. She was could hunt and kill but she was so shy, shyer than Josilyn. It was what made her the omega. But she was sweet when she did talk.

"So, your friend, Spencer, why were you texting him?" Josilyn inquired. I knew she meant no harm in the question. She was genuinely interested, but I treaded carefully in case she told Hunter. My brother would have a fit and it'd be bye-bye freedom for me.

"I was asking him if we trying on our tango outfits today. We ended up on the topic of my hunger and he offered to bring me lunch," I explained.

"You trust him when we're being hunted?"

"I do, actually. I don't know why I do."

"He's certainly making an impression by not being scared of us. Hunter is annoyed by that."

"Spencer said that, and I quote, the enjoyment he gets from talking and hanging out with me is bigger than the fear that our family is trying to instill in him."

"That doesn't worry you that maybe he could be… I don't know, a-"

"No, it doesn't. He's been alone with my plenty of times. If he was one of them, he would've done something by now."

"I'm just worried about everyone I guess. Sorry," Josilyn said shyly.

"I know you are. But you don't need to worry about me. I can handle myself. I've always been able to," I told her with a smile. "Besides, there's nothing else going on between me and Spencer. He and I are just friends. It's not like we're hanging out after school or anything."

Josilyn nodded, accepting the big fat lie I'd just told her. I felt horrible lying to her, but I also wanted to go out on Sunday with Spencer. I wanted to have fun with someone outside of my pack. I loved meeting new people, but being in the town we were in, and being in the family I was in, that was pretty much something that was not going to happen. I had to keep my Sunday escapade a secret.

* * *

**Sunday…**

Sunday came too slowly. When it was time for me to go, I dressed as I would to go to dance which consisted of a tank top, yoga pants, and a pair of heels because I had to know how to dance the tango in heels. I drove down my driveway and once the compound was out of sight, pulled the car over to the side so I could switch into a more casual outfit. I wore jeans, a white tank top, a gray cardigan sweater, and sneakers. It was only October, but it could still get pretty chilly out. Like I said, Colorado had weird weather. You never knew what the temperatures were going to be here in the fall, and in the spring too.

I drove down to the public parking lot. I easily found Spencer leaning against his motorcycle and pulled into the empty parking space next to him.

"Hey," I greeted, getting out.

"Hi," he replied, giving me a hug. He handed me a helmet. "Hope you don't mind riding a motorcycle."

"As long as you're driving," I said, putting the helmet on. We got onto the motorcycle and he drove off to Rocky Mountain National Park. He was a good driver but I would always tighten my grip around his torso when we went around curves. I'd never been on a motorcycle so this was a whole new experience for me.

We pulled onto the road that led to Bear Lake. It had a half-mile trail that went around this really pretty Alpine lake. I'd been here once or twice when I was little. There weren't many people there when we arrived which was no problem for me. The only ones I saw looked like native Coloradoans. Spencer and I got off the motorbike. The two of us headed down the pathway in silence. It was comfortable. I was thoroughly enjoying the view of the mountains, lake, and my companion. About halfway down the trail, Spencer strayed into the woods, climbing up a steep hill.

"What are you doing?" I asked, watching him climb onto a rock.

"Exploring. Come on," he replied in a playful tone. I hesitated but followed. We went farther up into the woods and I was starting worry. Where exactly was he leading me? When I voiced my opinion, he simply said, "You'll see. I promise you won't regret it. It's not much farther. You'll love it."

About five minutes later, I saw what my friend meant. It was a small lake, maybe a quarter of the size of Bear Lake. Wildflowers that were on the last legs of their life still bloomed around it. The banks of the lake had flat stones that were perfect for skipping on water which Spencer was already doing.

"How did you find this place?" I asked, marveling at the beauty of it.

"I have a lot of spare time on my hands and while my friend and her friend are out and about doing their business, I sneak off and do things on my own. They don't know about it. Like your family, they're pretty strict about leaving the house unaccompanied. But I come here because it's out of the way. It's a good place to think."

"Why are you friends so strict with you?" I questioned, throwing a rock across the water.

"Some… things happened to us in the past that have made them extremely paranoid right now. What about you? Why are your parents so strict with you?"

"Similar to you I guess. Our past is kind of dark and it's made my dad in particular become extremely overprotective of me. My brother is helping him get past that thankfully."

"What happened to your family?"

"You didn't look us up? It's just that most people do when they find out we've endured a couple tragedies," I added hastily.

Spencer replied, "I figured it wasn't my business and that if I should find out exactly what happened to your family, I figured you should tell me because then you want me to know."

"You're a really good guy, has anyone ever told you that?"

Spencer laughed. "Just by my friends."

"What about your family?" I asked.

At this, Spencer's cheerfulness dissipated. "My friends are my family. It's a… complicated story."

"Well I have plenty of time. I told my parents that I'd be gone for a while 'trying on clothes' for dance so they're not worried. Besides, I get the feeling you haven't told anyone and you need someone to talk to. I suck at solving my own problems but I'm a good listener so if you need someone to lend an ear, I'm all yours," I offered, hoping I didn't sound too much like an idiot. Spencer gazed at me for a few moments, I guess trying to decide if I was being genuine in what I was saying. He nodded and looked away at the mountains in the distance for a while before sitting down on a massive rock that was strangely the perfect height and size for sitting. I sat next to him.

"When I was a baby, I was dropped off at an… orphanage of sorts. It was people my parents knew that took in orphans. For three years I lived there until this couple adopted me. A few years later, they took in a girl. She ended up being my girlfriend for a while. After that was another girl and lastly was a boy. We were really close and happy and I loved my life. I had two best friends, an amazing girlfriend…"

"What happened?" I prodded gently.

"My adoptive parents… they'd been lying to me since I'd been with them. See, I'd grown this resentment towards my real parents because I thought their reason for getting rid of me was because they didn't want me even though in a note they'd left, it'd said they couldn't take care of me financially. I found out that not only was that not the case, but my adoptive parents were actually my real parents. My dad had sent me to retrieve something from the safe and I came across this letter from the people I'd been dropped off at saying that 'your son Spencer is doing well.' At first I thought it was a teacher letter but then I realized that the letter was dated when I was only one year old. I shouldn't have known my parents then and they shouldn't have known me. I brought it up with them, found out my adoptive parents were my real parents and that my girlfriend also knew of the secret. The other two living with us had no idea. I got so _angry_ that they never told me."

"What was their explanation for not telling you?"

"They said they wanted to but when they saw how much resentment I had to my 'parents', that they wanted me to love them as who I thought they were than who they really were." Spencer halted in his speech. Pain was etching itself onto his face. "After they said that, my temper flared so much and I told them that I then didn't love them as either, told my girlfriend we were over, and went on a walk in our woods. My friend came to talk to me. He convinced me to go back and talk to them. My other friend had gone to help out at our family business. See, what happens next is because my parents were powerful and that made enemies. When my friend I were heading back, we saw the explosion. There was nothing else it could've been but I hoped that it wasn't true. When I arrived at my house, it was on fire. The other friend came over to us and we just sat there until the original people I'd been dropped off with came to get us. My friend tried to convince me that it wasn't my fault, and I know it wasn't my fault that they died but what I am finding so hard to live with is the fact that my parents thought I hated them in the last minutes of their lives. My girlfriend thought I hated her before she died and now I'm just in this… this slump in my life that I can't seem to get out of. The dancing helps but when I'm with my friends, I feel I'm the third wheel. I feel alone, worthless, guilty… and I can't get those feelings out of my head. I don't know. It's hard to explain."

I was staring at him. I could feel the knot in my throat because I knew _exactly_ what he was going through. "Depression. You're depressed."

Spencer nodded. "It's not severe. Not yet at least. I'm not hurting myself or anything like that. I don't know if it'll get worse. I can't tell my friends. They worry about me enough and they're trying to figure out who killed my parents. And I don't think they'd understand. They thought a change of scenery would do me good but it hasn't. I just don't have the heart to tell them that."

I placed my hand over his. He glanced up at me curiously. "They may not understand, but I do."

It immediately dawned on Spencer as to what I was meaning. "You had depression?"

I gulped, wondering if telling him was the right thing to do. I'd never told anyone that I'd had depression. Absolutely no one. Caleb knew I went through a small period of depression after Anna died, but no one knew I went through it after he left. "Twice. Once when my twin sister Anna died and then again when my older brother, Caleb, ran away. Anna was murdered by three men who broke into our house. They tried to kill my brother Caleb who had been watching her. My parents killed the men in self-defense and in defense of their kids. Hunter never treated Caleb the same afterwards though. They were always arguing and Hunter was always saying Anna's death was Caleb's fault. But Caleb was my rock during the aftermath of that. I cried every night for a year and a half. His room was right next to mine. He'd hear me and would come into my room and comfort me. I'd also have these nightmares that I'd wake up shaking and sweating from and I'd always go to him. He'd stay up with me until I fell asleep again. Then one day, Hunter told Caleb that it should've been him who died instead of Anna that day and a couple weeks later, Caleb left. I became reclusive. During the summer, I was sleeping and I barely ate. I hid it from my parents. I'd never really eaten breakfast before so that didn't raise any questions. My mom noticed that I wasn't eating as much at dinner and brought it up with me. I lied to her, saying that I wasn't as hungry as I used to be. I've always been a good liar so I knew my heart wouldn't flutter and give me away. My mom bought it but said I needed to get active. She made me choose a thing to do and I chose dance. I've been doing it for four years and it's the best thing that's happened to me since Caleb left."

"You never told anyone you had depression?" Spencer asked softly.

I shook my head. "My mom and dad nearly divorced over the whole situation of Caleb leaving because my mom wanted to keep searching for him but my dad said that if he wanted to be found, he'd would've called us by then. I didn't think anyone other than my parents would understand so I-I hid it and it never got to a dangerous point. I'd seen what Anna's death and Caleb running away did to my parents, the pain it put them through, and I didn't want to put them through any more of that kind of pain. But I was still hurt. I still hurts, it's just… not as bad as before. When you asked me the other about why I keep moving, why I never seem to relax, it's because when I do, I think of Anna. I think of Caleb. That's when the pain comes back. When I'm moving or busy with something, I'm fine. My mind focuses on the task at hand. But when I go to bed… I can't get Anna and Caleb out of my head. I know there's nothing I could've done to save Anna. But Caleb… maybe if I'd talked to him. He showed no signs that he was going to run away. He'd always stay in his room for a week or two after a fight with Hunter. At least the big ones so none of us thought anything of it until he didn't come down to lunch one afternoon. Mom went to his room and found some of his stuff gone. She panicked. We had everyone out looking for him but he didn't want to be found. We stopped after a month or two. He's out there somewhere. I hope one day he comes back. I hope he knows that no matter what happened, he can always come home. He is always welcome back home," I said.

Spencer turned his hand over so he could lace his fingers through mine. "Well, you said to me earlier that if I need someone to talk to, you would lend an ear to me. I want you to know that if you ever need to talk to anyone, let me know. Text, call, in person, whatever works for you."

"Thank you. I'm glad we did this. I can't explain it but I feel a lot better after today. I'm glad you convinced me to come out here."

"I do too, and I'm glad you agreed," he said with a smile. He looked down at his watch after that. "We should probably head back. Your parents are going to question where you are and why it's taking you so long to try on your outfits."

I laughed. "Good point."

The two of us got up but we kept a hold of each other's hands. The trip back down to his motorcycle was entirely too short. I wanted to spend the entire day with him. This feeling… it was new. I'd never experienced it before but it wasn't hard for me to figure out. I couldn't like him though. He was human, I was a Guardian. It'd never work out! Most sane people would never accept that I could change from being human to being a wolf. Of course, Spencer wasn't exactly rational considering he showed absolutely no fear of me or my family. So maybe, just maybe, it would work out. He trusted me and it felt good to have someone like that, to have someone outside my family trust me. And most importantly, Spencer wasn't hiding anything from me because what did he have to hide?

* * *

**If only Elsa knew… review (and an actual review SACarter- not one that just says 'review' you smart-aleck)!**


	13. Chapter 13

**So after telling my friend what was going to happen in this chapter, I wanted to write it so here you go :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Ansel, I'm not the sun, stop orbiting and get in here."  
****~Calla Tor, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 13

**Caleb**

Neither Lily nor I missed the change in Spencer. He seemed happier. He seemed like he wasn't carrying this weight on his shoulders anymore. He seemed to be acting more like himself. I wondered what it was that had changed him. Maybe the dance was giving him something else to focus on, or maybe it was the scenery. Regardless, I was thankful for what was causing this change in him. I wanted to see him happy again.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked, sitting next to me on the couch.

"Reading some emails the Searchers sent me. They're tracking down where all known Hunters and their kids and acquaintances are to see if they can figure out who it was that attacked us. So far they haven't found anyone in Estes but that could change. What are you doing?"

"I'm bored. I want to go into town, but Spencer is gone and you are adamant that you won't go into town."

"I'm just worried that we'd run into someone I know or who used to know me. It's a small town, Lil," I said.

"You've been gone for six years and you were a shrimp of a kid back then. Pretty sure no one is going to suspect that you've grown into this six-foot-two guy who can break a leg with one kick."

"It's not one kick. It's two," I corrected. "And I was not a shrimp of a kid!"

"Whatever. And yes you were. My point is that no one is going to recognize you. Please?" Lily begged, resting her head on my shoulder.

I groaned. "Fine, but I'm wearing a hat and you can't stop me."

"But why do you want to hide your fabulous hair?"

"Because people recognize me by it. I'll meet you in the car." I ran and grabbed my baseball cap from my room. When I came back down, I saw Lily had the car waiting outside. I hopped in and she left skid marks going down the driveway. I'd seriously underestimated how stir-crazy she was going in that house. We pulled into the community parking lot. It was free for everyone. Trick was finding a spot. Thankfully most of the tourists were leaving though so today it was easy. The two of us got out of the car and went to a local coffee shop. I used to go there when I still lived here. Hopefully no one would recognize me. I grabbed a table near the window so I could watch the people that passed by while Lily ordered our drinks.

"One coffee with milk and lots of sugar," Lily said, placing my drink in front of me. "And one pumpkin spice latte for me."

"And nothinh for me," Spencer piped up. It was a good thing I wasn't holding my coffee or else I would've spilled it.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, clapping my friend on the back.

"Killing time until my lesson. It got postponed for an hour," he replied, sitting down.

"Where's Elsa?"

"With Thea and Riley. Any news?"

"No, not yet. We've hit a dead end. I don't know what to do now," I said, rubbing a hand through my hair.

"We're not giving up just because we hit a dead end," Lily said.

"I never said that."

"But you sound defeated. Don't worry, we'll get a break in the case sooner or later. The Hunters will make a mistake at some point and we'll be there to track it _and_ them."

"I love you and your optimism in this."

"What else can we have?"

"Pessimism. I'm either always right or pleasantly surprised so it always works out for me in the end," Spencer said. "So should I be called an optimistic pessimist?"

"Since when are you a pessimist? You were always the one saying we could do stuff," I pointed out.

"No, I was always telling _you _that you could do stuff. I just wanted to see if you were stupid enough to do my suggestions half the time," he admitted blatantly.

"So when I jumped into a freezing cold lake in the middle of winter, you just wanted to see if I would?"

"Yes."

"You know," I began jokingly, "it's people like you that give me trust issues."

"I know," he answered simply. I shook my head and excused myself briefly so I could go use the restroom.

* * *

**Lily**

After Caleb left, I asked, "Spencer, what's going on with you? You're… acting different. Happier."

"Is it a crime to be happy or something?" he queried, sneaking a sip of Caleb's drink.

"No, of course not, but I want to know what or who it is that's making you happy so I can thank them."

"So, theoretically, if my happiness came from some random rock, you would go to said random rock and thank it?"

"Theoretically, you're an idiot which you're now proving, but yes, I would go to said rock and thank it. In all seriousness though, what's changed? Something has."

"It's-"

"Spencer?" The two of us turned around. A girl was staring at us, seeming pleasantly surprised to see my second there. And speaking of my second, he instantly sat up straighter, a big smile making its way onto his face. My question was instantly answered in that brief moment.

"Elsa! I thought you were staying at the dance studio?" At that name, I hastily texted Caleb warning him who was here.

"I was but you mentioned coffee and it sounded so good so I came to get one. I didn't know you were coming here though, I swear."

"Where are Thea and Riley? I thought you said your parents don't like you going out by yourself?" Spencer remarked.

"Oh they don't, but Thea and Riles are here with me." The girl's blue eyes settled on me and I could see her trying to calculate exactly who I was. It unnerved me though. She wasn't trying to figure out if I was a girlfriend. It almost seemed like she recognized me. But what she said next, it was full of sincere kindness. "You must be one of Spencer's friends he told me about. I'm Elsa Laroche."

"Lily Carter," I said.

"Is your other friend here?" she questioned, nodding over at Caleb's jacket. Spencer froze but I quickly replied with, "No, that's my boyfriend's jacket. I accidentally took it instead of mine."

"But you're wearing one?" Elsa replied, giving me a suspicious look.

"I get cold really easily. Well I better get going. I have some work to do. Spencer, I'll see you later?" I said. He nodded, standing up. I grabbed my purse and Elsa handed me Caleb's jacket. I high-tailed it out of there without making it seem like I wanted to. I saw her pack members Thea and Riley waiting at the front of the store for her with drinks in hand but they didn't spare me a glance. Caleb was waiting for me outside, sitting at one of the benches. He stood up at the sight of me, carefully keeping his back to the window so his sister and her friends wouldn't see him.

"That was a close call," I grumbled. "She is very inquisitive."

"Are you okay?" he asked, rubbing his hands up and down my arms.

"I'm fine. Nothing I couldn't handle. Come on, let's get away from here before she gets any _more _curious." Caleb and I hurried back to our car.

* * *

**Elsa**

I acted normal around Spencer during dance but my mind was elsewhere. I trusted him, but Lily? I sensed she was hiding something. Maybe Spencer knew what it was, maybe he didn't, but I wanted to find out. After all, I recognized her scent from being near our house. I wanted to know why she was there. So after dance, I drove home and went onto my computer. I logged into the app for tracking your iPhone if it was lost or stolen. Within a few minutes, it gave me a location. I put the location in on google maps to see how far away it was from my house. The location was about three miles away but to get there through the woods was rocky terrain, dangerous to go through if you went by yourself and especially if you were unfamiliar with the territory. While I was going to embark on this mission alone, I knew the area well. Before my family became strict on the rules, I'd been allowed to go out exploring. Caleb and I especially used to go to this area. We would always have tree-climbing races because the trees out there were really good for doing so.

Mom called me down for dinner so I tucked the note into my pocket and headed down. I ate quickly, using the explanation that I had a ton of work to do before class tomorrow. I was excused from the table early. It was true, I did have a lot of work. I'd just gotten most of it done between my dance classes. I finished at around nine o'clock, including having taken a shower and drying my hair. My mom knocked on my door as I was surfing the internet.

"Did you get all your work done?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"I thought maybe if you were done, considering it's a Friday tomorrow and you have a half day, we could watch a movie. Just a girl's night, you, me, and Ember. We haven't had one in a while."

"I would but I'm just… really tired. Can we do it tomorrow?" I lied.

"Is everything okay? You're acting strange today."

"Everything's fine, school is stressing me out, that's all. I have a lot of tests coming up. I promise. Everything is okay."

"All right. I'll see you in the morning. Night sweetie. I love you," my mom said, kissing me on the head.

"Night mom. Love you too," I replied. I knew that no one would be coming to talk to me after that so I changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater, threw on a coat, and waited until I heard my parents turn the TV on. They always watched it for an hour or two before they went to sleep. The noise from it prevented them hearing me sneak out. I never worried about them hearing me when I came back in because both of them were heavy sleepers.

It was only nine-thirty at night but the air was biting cold. However, upon shifting into my wolf form, I didn't feel it at all. I chose to be a black wolf this time, to blend in with my surroundings because the moon was hidden by clouds so if any Hunters _were_ out, they'd have a hell of time seeing me.

I started out at a run. The sooner I got to the dangerous terrain, the better. Then I could walk, take it slowly, and not have felt like I wasted any time getting to my destination. And that's exactly what I did. By the time the cabin where my phone was located came into view, I was huffing from running and from being so careful about where I stepped on that terrain.

The cabin was relatively large, but the way it was decorated on the outside definitely told me it was meant to blend in with its surroundings. If I hadn't been a Guardian, and if the lights in the house weren't on, I may never have seen it if I walked past it. I saw a short figure move past the window, one I recognized as Lily. So at least I was at the right place. I walked up to the front door, shifted back to being human, and knocked. The shuffling in the house turned to silence. I heard hushed whispering so I called out saying, "Lily, I know you're in there."

A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal an annoyed Lily. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," I replied shortly.

"What are you talking about?"

"You were near my house. In the woods of all places. Now I don't know what your purpose in being here is, but I want to know what you were doing near my house."

"The less you know, the better off you'll be," she retorted.

"No, the more I know, the better off I'll be. My family is being hunted and I know you're a Guardian so let's cut through the crap. Whoever you and your companion are, you stay the hell away from my house. Are you the alpha?"

"You're on _our _property so be careful what you ask."

"You're most definitely an alpha. You're all asses, some of you just act like it more than others."

Lily snarled at me. "Watch your mouth. And for the record, there's another alpha here, one much stronger than me, so if you won't listen to me, I'll have him chase you off."

"Tell you what, you let me speak to the other alpha because I'm getting the feeling he's running the show here, give me back my phone, and I'll be on my merry way acting as if nothing happened," I bargained.

"What do you mean your phone? I don't have your damn phone."

"It's in your boyfriend's jacket pocket. I slipped it in there when I handed it to you because you've been good at covering your scent so we can't track you back here. The iPhone locator is a wonderful invention."

"Why you little-"

"And your other alpha- where is he?" I demanded.

"You don't come knocking on my door at ten at night asking for things. You're not seeing the other alpha, got it?"

"You don't come waltzing into our territory thinking you own the place. So I'm going to give you another chance, you either let me talk to your other alpha and set him straight as well, or I'm calling my pack."

"You're a Guardian, Elsa Laroche. There are people hunting you. You're going to get in so much trouble."

"It'll be worth it considering I'll be providing an answer for one of our biggest questions: who is the new wolf pack? You have five seconds to decide or I'm howling. And trust me, my parents can be here in fifteen minutes or less."

Lily stared at me, appearing as if she wasn't going to listen. I prepared myself to howl but a masculine voice spoke up from inside, saying, "Let her in."

Lily snapped her head back. "Are you serious? I thought you didn't want to see any of them? You didn't want any of them to know you were here!"

"She's not bluffing. It's better to have one know than the entire pack. Let her in." There was a tic in Lily's jaw but she obeyed the guy. I glared at her as I entered but turned my head to see who the other alpha was. At first, I just saw a tall guy with light brown, almost dark blonde hair standing up with a jacket on, hands in his pockets. Maybe if his expression didn't look so guilty, didn't look so nervous, I may not have figured out who he was. But his eyes gave away everything.

"Caleb?" I breathed.

He smiled. "Hey Ice Princess."

* * *

**I've been wanting them to meet again for so long. That's probably the reason why I have so many chapters up in such a short amount of time… anyways, reviews would be lovely :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Are you going to apologize for slapping me?"  
****~Shay Doran, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 14

**Caleb**

All the color drained from Elsa's face. Even her sapphire eyes seemed to get lighter, icier. Lily watched my little sister carefully. I didn't think Elsa would attack me but I'd been gone for almost seven years. A lot can change. I would know.

"You- you're alive?" Elsa stammered.

"Well he's not a cardboard cutout," Lily remarked. I glared at her briefly.

"All this time… how…" My sister walked up to me in a daze before throwing her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. Her body started shaking and it took me a second to realize that it was because she was crying. I held my sister while she got it out of her system. Admittedly, a few tears fell down my face. It was wonderful to see one of my family again, especially the person I was closest with.

After about five minutes, Elsa pulled back, wiping tears off her face. She sniffed and gave a small laugh before saying, "I can't believe it's you."

"I can't believe how tall you've gotten. You were always so short," I laughed.

"Everyone was short compared to you, even Hunter. I think you're actually taller than dad now."

"Caleb, I'm going to head upstairs. I'll make sure we add an extra cheeseburger to the order. I'll see you later," Lily said. Before I could respond, she headed upstairs. Elsa watched as my girlfriend disappeared before slapping me on the chest.

"Ow!" I exclaimed.

"Where the hell have you been?!" She demanded, hitting me on the chest again. "Why didn't you call us? Why didn't you let us know you were alive? What the hell were you thinking leaving us like that?!"

Elsa hit me after each question. I finally managed to back myself far enough away from her to where she couldn't reach me.

"Why don't we sit down, and I'll explain everything. Just promise me you won't hit me again," I said. My sister nodded. We sat on the couch together.

"Explain yourself," She ordered.

"What are you, an alpha?" I joked.

"Considering Hunter is future pack leader, and Josilyn is his significant other, and since I'm closest to her, I'm pretty much guaranteed to be her second, so when they're not here, I act as alpha. Now explain yourself."

"You've changed Ice Princess," I noted rather solemnly. "I suppose some of that's my fault."

"It didn't help with you leaving, but I changed after Anna died. I'm not the happy-go-lucky kid I used to be. Life changed me. Now start talking."

"In response to your first question, I went to Canada. I travelled as a wolf most of the way so I crossed the border easily. It took me a few weeks to get there though. A couple found me. A pair of Guardians: Michael and Elaine Stark. They took me in. There were three other kids around my age there and-"

"Was Lily one of them?"

"Yeah. She was the future alpha."

"Was?"

"We're, uh, dating now, so we're both the future alphas, even though there's only one more member of our pack now."

"Are they here?"

"No, but they should be here soon. He went out to get some fast food. I don't like him being out by himself but I figure he's safe as long as he's in the car. He-" At that moment, the front door swung open. Spencer threw the keys on the coffee table.

"Hey Caleb, I got you the extra cheeseburger Lily told me about. Oh, by the way, be careful, I smelled-" Spencer looked up, halting in his speech. His eyes fell onto my sister. Shock registered on his face. "Elsa."

My sister blinked in surprise. "Spencer?"

"Um, hi… h-how long have you been here?"

"About ten minutes. You're a Guardian?"

"I guess there's no point hiding that from you now. You're obviously having some bonding time with Caleb so I'm just going to… yeah. I'll see you at dance tomorrow."

"O-okay," Elsa said. She watched as my second hastily made his way upstairs. I turned to my sister and asked, "What was that?"

She looked at me guiltily. "What was what?"

"I may've been gone for a while but I'm not blind. You like him."

"Have you seen how attractive he is? Anyway, that's not the point. That's the other one in the group that took you in?" I could tell my sister was trying to change the subject but I wasn't going to let it slide.

"Yeah. Him and another girl, but she passed away… do you like Spencer or something?"

"Oh please. But I do have a question: it's obvious you didn't want any of us to find you, so why let someone so close to you get close to me?"

"I found out you were in dance class, and since Spencer knew how, I thought it'd be a good way to have someone look out for you and also to get information on how the pack was doing. How close did he get to you?"

Elsa hesitated. "He became good friends with me, that's all. And he got what you wanted him to. I kind of told him all our family issues with the exception of us being hunted. You do know about that right?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm here. The people who are hunting you again, they're the ones that killed Michael, Elaine, and Callie, the girl I mentioned. Spencer, Lily, and I were out of the house when it blew up. That's the only reason we survived. We've been tracking them since the beginning of summer. Our sources led us here."

Elsa glanced down at the couch briefly. She looked back up at me through her eyelashes. "Why didn't you tell us you were back? Why didn't you ever come back?"

"I… I never should've left Elsa, but when I did, I felt that there was no turning back, that I couldn't turn back. I truly thought at the time that my leaving was the best option for all of you. Then Hunter wouldn't have to deal with anyone trying to take his position as alpha, mom and dad wouldn't have to deal with two sons who couldn't stop dredging up the past, and you and Ember wouldn't get caught in the middle. I made a mistake though. I realize that now," I admitted.

"That doesn't answer my question about why you didn't come back… Was it because of her? Lily, I mean."

"Partially. I also was really embarrassed and couldn't bear to face y'all afterwards. And I knew if I called, mom and dad would come after me and I didn't want them to. I didn't deserve to go back home then and I don't deserve it now. I'm sorry Elsa. I have no plans on staying once we finish this war. That's why I never contacted you or anyone else when I got here."

"I kind of figured you weren't going to be staying with you not contacting us or anything… but I wish you were. How long are you going to be in town?"

"Until the Hunters move."

"Can I come visit you again?"

"Of course, just… don't tell anyone about me. Please."

"Not even mom? She misses you so much Caleb. After you left, she and dad… their relationship became really strained. I think they were on the verge of divorcing to be honest. And dad thought that Loren and mom were having an affair so that didn't help any of the matters."

"Seriously? Holy- I mean, I didn't know I caused that much trouble with leaving. But is everything okay now?"

"If I said no, would that get you to come home?"

"Elsa."

She sighed. "Yes, they're all fine now."

"They are? Are you not?"

"No, I've been fine too," my sister remarked. "Just trying to wrap my head around all this. And just wishing you'd come home. You know mom and dad would let Lily and Spencer stay too."

"You don't know that."

"Dad said that when you came home, they'd welcome you with open arms. I know you don't want to, but at least consider coming to see them?"

"Elsa, if I go to see them, they're going to do everything in their power to make me stay and while I love them, I am not staying. Once my pack and I finish what we started, we're heading back up to Canada and we're rebuilding what we lost."

"I understand."

"Hey, don't you have school tomorrow?"

"Yeah but I have first period off. I don't start class until nine-twentyish. I'm fine. So are we just going to sit here and let those burgers go cold?"

I laughed. "No. Let's eat."

The two of us got up and I grabbed the bag of food. Elsa and I sat at the bar, happily munching on our cheeseburgers and fries. Elsa wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, "How long have you and Lily been dating?"

"About six years. We started dating at the end of the summer that I left," I informed.

"She's pretty. I need to apologize for being a bitch to her though. Can I come over tomorrow or some other time? Get to know my future sister-in-law?" I choked on the fry I was swallowing. My sister grinned. "Kidding. But I do want to get to know her. I want to know my brother's girlfriend."

"But you don't want to know his second?" I countered.

"I know your second. And he told me about what happened to you, Lily, and Callie. About the house explosion. I'm sorry about that."

"He told you about that?" I snapped my head up.

"Yeah. We hung out one Sunday, went up to the park. We talked, that's all. I could tell something was bothering him so I managed to get it out of him. What's the face for?" Elsa queried, taking a sip of my drink.

"Spencer took you out to the park?" I stated.

"I thought we established that. It was just a friendly get-together. I know you're keeping a pretty strict watch on him, and with mom and dad cracking down on my ability to go out, I think he and I both needed an escape. That just happened to be with each other. Don't worry. It's not like I'm going to end up dating him. Like you said, y'all are going to leave once this blows over and he'll be going with you. A long distance relationship wouldn't work between us. Listen, I should head back home. When can I see you again?"

"Give me your phone," I ordered. She handed it over to me without any hesitation. I put my number in with the name 'Stark'. "Text me or call me whenever you need me too. I'm going to drive you home. I'll text you to see when you can come over next."

"You have my number?"

"Just because I left my cell phone when I left doesn't mean I didn't take all your numbers. I only had them in case of emergency but I might've… called you, mom, and Ember, just to hear your voices."

"I wondered why I kept getting strange calls with no one saying anything. Were you the one that sent me, mom, and Ember flowers on our birthdays?"

"Yeah. I always tried to send flowers that meant something, like they had a message attached to them. Like for mom's birthday the summer I left, I sent her daffodils because they meant new beginnings. I don't know if she ever figured that out though."

"Knowing mom she did and just never said anything to us about it." Elsa stood up.

"I'll drive you home," I told her, grabbing the car keys.

"If mom and dad hear a car coming up the driveway, they'll flip," she pointed out.

"So I'll pull up right until the bend curves. And then you run back to that house and text me when you're inside, got it?" I ordered.

"You have certainly grown into your alpha position haven't you? All right, come on."

* * *

**The next day…**

**Josilyn**

I was listening to 'See You Again', the piano version by Charlie Puth. I was obsessed with it recently even if it was sad. I couldn't sing to save my life but I sang along to it. I wondered if Thea could see me in her rearview mirror singing to it. I doubted it though. When we pulled up to our homes, Hunter was there to greet me with a hug and a kiss.

"How was your day?" He inquired, lacing his fingers through mine.

"It was good. I didn't have much to do today. Apparently Sebastian nearly caught himself on fire in chemistry today. Thea fell asleep in AP Lit, and Elsa was strangely upbeat. She was texting someone practically all day. I couldn't figure out who it was but my guess is that it's Spencer. Those two are so cute together!" I gushed. "Shame he's not a Guardian. But enough of that. How was your day?"

"I went to work with mom. She showed me some new things about running a hotel. I haven't really grasped the new concept so I'll be doing it again tomorrow. And then I spent a good hour and a half arguing with dad to convince him to let me take you out for a date tonight."

"Really?!" I exclaimed excitedly. "Did you do it?"

"Yep." Hunter grinned. "I have a reservation at the Dunnraven. I know you like Italian. Our reservation is at six-thirty so we'll leave here about six o'clock? Better to be early than late."

"Says the guy who was late to half his classes during school."

"Shh!" He laughed, kissed me on the cheek, and headed back to his house. I practically ran up to my room. Throwing my bag on the floor, I started pulling out clothes one by one. I wanted to look really good tonight. I had to wear something that made me look fantastic.

"What's got you in a frenzy?" Diana piped up from my doorway.

"I'm going on a date with Hunter tonight. What are you doing here? Everything okay?"

"Thea and Barry are driving me up the wall. I ran into your brother and he suggested to come talk to you. He said you're good at helping people," she said.

I chuckled. "I guess I am. It's more I just listen. Why are they driving you up the wall?"

"Just being your annoying younger siblings. Thea won't stay out of my closet, Barry keeps hacking into my twitter. I've changed all my passwords but he'll figure it out sooner or later. Mom and dad think Barry's an angel though so they don't believe he's doing any of it."

"What else? I feel like there's something else bothering you."

Diana sighed, biting her lip. "I sort of like someone who's way too young for me."

"Who is it?"

"Sebastian…"

"Sebastian?" I repeated.

"Yes… I don't know, he's been really sweet to me lately and I just… it's a six year difference. It's such a big age difference that I don't know when it'd ever be okay to date him! Besides, I think he likes Laurel. He's close to her too."

"Frank and Taki are six years apart in age and you don't see any problems with them."

"But they started dating so late. I don't want to be twenty-eight when I have my first kiss."

"There's nothing wrong with not kissing someone before then. If you want to wait for him, then do it. He's young right now but he won't be young forever. Just wait a little bit more and see what happens, okay?"

"All right. My turn to help you. What do you want to wear?"

"I have no idea. A dress, definitely. But I don't know which one.

"Where's that pink dress I got you for your birthday? I think that'd be perfect. Just pair it with some jewelry and let me curl your hair and you'll be good to go."

"Oh my gosh, you're a genius! That dress is perfect! And you'll help me with my hair?"

"Of course I will. And it'll be a good way to distract myself. Come on!"

Over the course of the next three hours, Diana and I hung out, ironing my dress, choosing jewelry, watching 'The Notebook', and doing my hair and makeup. Well, she did my hair. I did my makeup. After those two were done, I slipped on my dress. Diana clapped in excitement.

"Hunter's not going to know what hit him. You need to hurry and put your jewelry on though because you're going to be late even with your boyfriend living right next door to you," she pointed out. I hastily threw on a pair of silver hoop earrings and a diamond necklace that Hunter had given to me for my sixteenth birthday. I headed downstairs. Hunter was talking to my dad in the living room.

"Hi!" I chirped, looping my arm through my boyfriend's.

"Hello lovely," he greeted, a smile breaking out onto his face. My dad watched us carefully.

"Take care of her tonight Hunter. Both of you be careful. Call me or Ren if anything goes wrong," my dad ordered.

"Yes dad," I said. "Love you!"

Hunter then escorted me to his car. The drive to the Dunnraven didn't take long. In fact, we got there ten minutes early. They seated us right then and there though. Our waiter brought us our drinks and some garlic bread that was to absolutely die for. Hunter and I chatted about everything. We never seemed to run out conversation, but when we did, we sit in a comfortable silence until one of us thought of something else to talk about. I ordered chicken parmesan while Hunter ordered ravioli. It reminded me of everyone's favorite dishes whenever we came here. Everyone loved something different. Noah adored the manicotti while Ember went nuts for the lasagna, and Elsa was obsessed with the baked lobster ziti.

We were on dessert when I noticed something off about Hunter. He seemed nervous almost. I took another bite of the caramel apple cheesecake before asking, "You okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm just thinking. I wanted to talk to you about something."

I blurted, "Are you breaking up with me?"

Hunter snorted. "No. Far from it. And what ass would take his girlfriend out to a super nice dinner just to break up with her? No, I wanted to talk to you about what's going to happen to our pack."

"Oh? What about it?" I gave him an inquisitive look.

"I'm going to be alpha of the pack. With Caleb… with Caleb not here anymore, the position automatically goes to me. But I need a mate and-"

"You need someone more suitable than me, don't you?" I said glumly, placing my fork down on the plate. I suddenly lost any appetite I had left.

"No, I want you. And with everything going on, I feel I haven't been able to show you just how much I appreciate you so I wanted to give you this." Hunter pulled a wrapped box out of his pocket and placed it in front of me. I hesitated before opening it. A gasp escaped from me when I saw the simple yet beautiful ring in front of me. "It's a promise ring. I have one that goes along with it so it's like a matching set. I just want you to know how much you mean to me."

"Oh my gosh! This is beautiful!" I took the ring out of the box. It had a small diamond in the center of it that sparkled in the light. "Thank you so much!"

"Anything for my mate," Hunter said, a satisfied smile on his face. "Now what do you say I get the check, we head home, get into our pajamas, and watch a movie?"

I smiled. "That sounds perfect."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed :) Review please!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Have fun :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Keep your hands to yourself."  
****~Calla Tor, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 14

**Spencer**

I woke up late that morning, about noon. I had dance in an hour so I forced myself to get up and get dressed. It was going to be awkward seeing Elsa because I knew she would think that the only reason I got close to her was because Caleb told me to. And that _was_ true, but only at first. Bringing her lunch, taking her out to the park, that was all because I _wanted_ to. I wanted to see her, to hang out with her. Those chances were pretty much shot now. I threw on a shirt and some sweatpants and grabbed my backpack. Upon going downstairs, I found my alphas in the kitchen.

"Morning," I greeted as nonchalantly as I could.

"Morning, Spencer," Caleb replied. Lily gave me a smile as she said, "I made you breakfast. It's in the fridge. I didn't want it to go bad if I left it out. It's your favorite too: bacon and pancakes."

"You're the best, Lily." I grabbed my breakfast out of the fridge and heated it up. The three of us sat in an awkward silence. The only sound was me munching on my food. The tension itself seemed to be radiating off of Caleb. Naturally, my big mouth had to ask, "Is there an elephant in the room we need to discuss?"

"How close did you get to my sister?" Caleb asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I told you to get close to my sister to find out information about her pack and to make sure she's okay."

"And I did that."

"Yes you did. You told me she was doing well except that she's worried about everything going on right now which she has reason to be. Elsa has always put others first."

"What are you getting at Caleb?" Lily inquired hesitantly. She didn't like the tone of the conversation, and honestly, neither did I.

"When I told you to get close to her, I didn't mean for you to take her out to places. I didn't mean for you to admit your own issues to get things out of her!" Caleb exclaimed angrily. "I didn't mean for you to tell her about what happened to Michael and Elaine!"

"Caleb!" Lily hissed harshly. "What the hell has gotten into you? Don't you dare speak to Spencer like that."

"Elsa has enough problems of her own. She doesn't need his or anyone else's to deal with," he snapped.

Lily growled. "But if you need to vent about your problems to us, then that's fine?"

"You always ask me about my problems so-"

"I do not. I can't count the times you have come into our bedroom talking about one of your many problems. And you know what I do? I sit and listen and help you. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe some people want to help others with their problems?"

"Elsa asked me, Caleb. I needed to talk about it," I said quietly.

"So why didn't you come talk to me or Lily? We are right here. Why the hell did you have to go to my sister?"

"Because she understood in ways that neither of you ever could!" I fired back. "I have been keeping quiet because you two have so much on your plate right now that I didn't want to add my personal issues to it. I got close to Elsa because she was like me. We've both been hiding things from the people we love because we know they wouldn't understand. So I'm sorry for talking to someone who understood. I'm sorry for trying to give you two a break. And I'm sorry I got closer to her than I should have."

I stood up, shuffling towards the door. Lily quickly followed me and said, "What about your breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry anymore and if I don't leave now then I'll be late for dance. Don't need anyone else mad at me today. I'll see you later Lil."

"You go to dance, you come straight back," Caleb ordered.

"Yes, sir," I muttered. Lily closed the door after me and I could hear her shouting at Caleb, although exactly what she was saying I couldn't tell you.

The drive down to the studio was short but I was still a couple minutes late. Elsa was already waiting in the dance room, having a chat with our instructor Mrs. Ulman.

"Sorry I'm late. Won't happen again," I said, throwing my backpack on the floor.

"You're never late Spencer. Everything okay?" Mrs. Ulman asked.

"Yes ma'am. Just a… bad morning is all." I stood next to Elsa and the two of us began our dance routine. Both of us were off on our timing the entire class period. Apparently I wasn't the only one having issues focusing today.

"Are you two okay? Did you two have an argument?" Mrs. Ulman questioned.

"No," Elsa and I answered simultaneously.

"All right. I just want to make sure you're not allowing any personal issues to get in the way of the competition. You're my best dancers. So prove it to me. I say we're done for today. Go home, get whatever it is sorted out that you need to, whether that's with others or between yourselves. I'll see you Monday."

Elsa and I grabbed our stuff. I waited until we were in the parking lot to talk to her.

"Elsa," I said. She didn't look at me. "Elsa, please wait!"

"I'm not in the mood to talk right now," she retorted, pulling out her car keys.

"Then you don't have to talk, but please listen," I begged. She halted before turning around in annoyance. "I know you're probably beyond mad at me about lying to you, especially after you told me about Caleb and I just sat there acting like I didn't know anything. Yes, I was supposed to get close to you, to keep an eye on you, and to get information, but the stories I told you, that was all true and-"

"I'm not mad at you for keeping my brother a secret from me. He's your alpha, you do what he says. And it's not the first time he's hidden from us. I'm mad because of how you chose to get close to me. You could've gotten information from me just from dance, but no, you brought me lunches and took me out to the park and that led me to believe that for the first time in my life, a guy I liked might actually like me back. But no. You led me on. Do you deny it?" she demanded.

I stared at her for a few seconds, wanting so much to tell her the truth. I _should _tell her the truth. But what was the point? Even if anything happened between us, it'd all be long distance. So I lied. "No. I don't. I led you on. I thought you wouldn't tell me anything unless you thought we were going to go somewhere other than friends. For that, I really am sorry. I didn't think you'd ever find out. I didn't want to hurt you."

"It's a little late for that one." Elsa started walking back to her car. "I'll see you Monday."

I hung my head as I headed to my motorcycle. Could this day get any worse? I chose not to answer that because knowing life, this day could definitely get worse. Instead of going home, I decided to go drive around, so I could let myself have some peace. What Caleb and Lily didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Besides, I wanted to avoid seeing Caleb as much as possible.

* * *

**Lily**

Caleb and I weren't speaking to each other. He was still beyond upset about how close Spencer had gotten to Elsa, about what he'd told her. My main concern was what Spencer wasn't telling us. What did Elsa understand that we couldn't? I could ask her but she and I weren't best friends or anything like that. We barely even knew each other. There's no way on earth she would tell me about it.

A knock at the door broke me out of my thoughts. I quietly got up and looked at the video camera Caleb had installed so we could see who was at our door. I let out a sigh of relief. Speak of the devil…

"Hi, Lily, is Caleb home yet?" Elsa asked politely when I opened the door.

"No, he's not. But you're welcome to stay until he gets here," I offered.

"I can't stay for long. My parents think I'm still at dance but they'll get suspicious if I'm gone too long. Is it okay if I wait about twenty minutes? Then I need to leave."

"Sure, come on in. I was just about to start making dinner. Actually, I'm glad you're here. I wanted to talk to you alone."

Elsa followed me into the kitchen. "Before you say anything, let me just apologize about how I acted last night. I was a bitch. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You're right. We're in your territory. And by the way, you saying you were going to call your pack, that was a really believable threat. Good job."

She snorted. "The reason it was believable is because it was true. If Caleb hadn't said anything, I would've called my pack."

I stared at her for a few moments before, "Are you sure you're not an alpha?"

"No, I'm just a Laroche. So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Listen, I know I just met you which means you probably won't answer my question, but Caleb and Spencer got into a massive argument this morning. Spencer… said some things that worried me and I was wondering if you could give me any insight as to what he meant by them."

"Actually, I came here to talk to you about Spencer as well… What did Caleb say to him?" Elsa queried, sitting at the bar.

"Caleb asked him why he told you about what happened to our family and why he told you how he was feeling about it. Spencer said it was because you understood him in ways we couldn't."

Elsa sighed. "It's… it's not my secret to tell. There's something that we all share in common: we've all lost members of our pack. Some of us have handled it differently. Some of us have been affected differently. What led me to be like Spencer is different than what led him to how he is, to how he's feeling, but we're the same nonetheless. What he's going through, I get it because I've been through it before. Twice. And it's not fun. Despite my anger at him right now for leading me on to get information out of me, I was worried about him after dance. He needs his alphas, or at least one of them. That's all I can say without saying outright what it is that connects us. Caleb will know if you tell him. Especially if you tell him it's about what happened nine years ago… wait, is Spencer home?"

"No, why?"

"I thought he would've been home by now. It's not like I had much of a head-start on him."

At that moment, the front door opened. I expected it to be my second, but it was Caleb. He gave me a head nod, one which I returned. However when he saw his sister, he smiled. "Hey Ice Princess, what are you doing here?"

"I was needing to talk to you. About Spencer."

"What about him?"

"Why don't we go talk in the living room? I have to hurry or else mom and dad will get suspicious. And if I can't explain everything in the next five minutes, talk to Lily. She knows about it too." Caleb nodded as he walked into the living room with Elsa. They'd barely been talking two minutes when Spencer walked in. He entered the kitchen immediately.

"What's Elsa doing here?" he whispered.

"She came to talk to Caleb. She said, and I quote: despite my anger at him for leading me on to get information out of me, I was worried about him after dance," I informed.

"Why was she worried about me?"

"She must've sensed something was seriously troubling you. _My _question is: why did you lie to her?"

"What do you mean?"

I rolled my eyes. "I was not born yesterday. Spencer, you never lie. You twist the truth so you don't have to lie. But you lied straight to her face about leading her on to get information. You haven't so much as looked at another girl since Callie, but whenever Elsa is around, you act like a schoolboy with a crush. I know you. You didn't take her out to that park just to get information out of her. So why did you lie to her?"

Spencer bounced his fist lightly against the counter. "Because I do like her. I like her a lot, Lily. But it would never work between us. She admitted to liking me. I was _so close_ to telling her I felt the same way but I stopped myself because first off, at that point in time I didn't think she'd believe me, and second, if we theoretically started dating, it'd have to be long distance the entire time and she deserves to have someone all of the time."

"Oh Spencer… you could date her until you left, just so you could have some happiness in your life again. I hadn't seen you so happy in ages until you started hanging out with her. I want to see that happiness again."

"I'll try to be like that more often then," Spencer said.

"No. Don't try. Let it come naturally. I want you to be happy because you _are _happy, not because you want to please me or Caleb."

"Speaking of me," Caleb piped up from the doorway. "Spencer, mind if I talk to you? I think it's time I apologize. And Lily, you're next in line for an apology from me."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed- reviews would be wonderful :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**I just got some wonderful ideas for this story so I want to get close to those chapters meaning y'all are going to be getting faster updates :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
****Calla: "I look like a cake."  
****Bryn: "But a beautiful cake."  
**_**~Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 16

**Ember**

"Elsa, what are on earth are you doing in there? How long does it take to put on a dress?" Hunter called out. Josilyn, Laurel, Thea, Akira, and I were already outside the dressing rooms in their dresses. Akira had chosen a pretty conservative dress although that was typical. The dress was lavender and the straps were bedazzled. It cinched in the middle making her tiny waist seem even smaller. Laurel wore a strapless purple dress with a sweetheart neckline and black beading. It was different but it suited her. She could wear practically anything, just one of those people, you know? Josilyn wore a strapless blush pink dress with a sweetheart neckline that was bedazzled at the top. It was very loose fabric so when she spun around, it flared out. Thea wore a green and silver rhinestone dress which strangely reminded me of a peacock but she worked it like no other. I stuck with a strapless, black lace dress that flared out. The girls and I were trying on our favorite dresses again. It was poor Elsa who was having no luck with dresses. The rest of our pack wasn't up to going to Denver today so it was just the ten of us.

"Hold your horses, Hunter. This dress has too many damn straps and I'm only one person," Elsa snapped.

"Do you need help?" I asked.

"Yes please!" I slipped under her door since she couldn't actually open it. I started laughing when I saw her. The dress was halfway over her head, her arms were sticking out of the straps at awkward angles, and it looked overall very uncomfortable.

"Would you stop laughing and help me out of this please?" Elsa begged. "I can't breathe anymore."

I set to work unraveling the straps and putting them in the appropriate places. I couldn't blame my sister for getting confused about where the straps went. I got confused too. It took five minutes for me to actually get the dress fixed correctly. When she stepped out, Hunter shook his head.

"That looks like a death trap," Sebastian remarked. He, Barry, and Noah were sitting next to each other. The boys had already bought their suits for the event which was some special thing for hotel owners in Denver. Coincidentally it was the same week of Elsa's dance competition so we would be staying a few extra days. It wasn't for a while but some schools had dances so we wanted to get ahead of the shopping frenzy there would be when girls started getting serious about shopping for dresses.

"Next," he said. Elsa groaned and went back inside. I helped her get out of the dress again because there was no way she could do it without breaking it. She didn't want to pay for a dress she didn't want. It took her a much shorter time to put on the next dress. When she exited the dressing room

"You look like a grandmother," Noah said. I grinned. I looked over at Hunter who had covered his mouth with both hands, shaking his head slightly, and was seriously trying not to laugh.

"Noah!" Josilyn chastised.

"What?! I'm just saying it's too old for her!"

"And you're an expert in that category?" Laurel chimed in.

"Thank you, Noah."

"These are horrible dresses," Hunter laughed.

"These are your picks! I'm never letting you help me pick out dresses again," my sister grumbled.

"They looked good on the rack," he defended. Elsa rolled her eyes and went back into her dressing room, firmly telling Hunter she was trying on her picks now.

"Em, can you help zip up the dress? My fingers are raw from trying to zip up the other dresses," Elsa inquired.

"Sure thing," I answered. I slipped back under the door and smiled when I saw the dress. "This is perfect for you. This will definitely be the one."

At that moment, her phone buzzed. "Can you check who that is?"

I picked up her phone for her. The lock screen said she had a text from-

"Spencer… Ooh!" I exclaimed, opening her door. "Guys, guys, guys! Elsa just got a text from Spencer!"

"Give me my phone!" Elsa shouted, running out of her dressing room. I'd totally forgotten to zip up her dress so she was clutching it to her chest with one hand while her other hand was outstretched trying to grab her phone from me. I ran around the store with my sister chasing me.

"What's your password, El?" I queried, dodging her grab for her phone.

"First off, I'm never telling you that, second, don't call me El, and thirdly, give me my damn phone back!" she demanded.

"Elsa?" a guy said, sounding rather shocked. The two of us skidded to a stop and turned our heads around. Speak of the devil…

"Spencer?" Elsa squeaked.

"Uh, is everything okay?" He asked. His eyes drifted to Elsa's bare back but quickly shot back up to her rapidly reddening face.

She turned around and clutched the dress even tighter to her chest. "Yeah, yeah… just trying to get my phone back from Ember. What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find my friends. One said she was in here. Guess she left."

"Um, Elsa, introductions please?" I tapped my foot impatiently.

"Oh, Ember, this is Spencer, my dance partner. Spencer, this is my older sister Ember," she presented.

"Pleasure to meet you Ember," Spencer said kindly.

"No, no, the pleasure's mine. Ever since Elsa here told me how good looking her dance partner was, I've wanted to meet you. And she was not wrong," I replied. My sister slapped me on the arm. Spencer grinned but I could tell he didn't believe me.

"I'm sure she didn't say that," he said.

"I think the words were 'handsome' and 'drop dead gorgeous'. Did I miss anything?" I faced my sister inquisitively. If looks could kill, I'd be dead a hundred times over with the way Elsa was staring at me.

"I'm going to kill you when we get home," she growled.

"That's a beautiful dress. What's it for?" Spencer questioned.

"Oh, thank you," Elsa said. "I think it'd be much prettier though if _someone zipped it up_."

I rolled my eyes but zipped it up for her. "There. Fabulous."

"Thank you." She sighed. "Where's a mirror? I want to see what it looks like."

Elsa walked off a few feet. I watched Spencer's eyes trail her with an unmistakable longing in them. When she turned back around, his eyes immediately became expressionless.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"Wonderful," I said. "I think that's the dress."

"I'm in love with it," Elsa admitted. Her dress was powder blue with a rhinestone embroidered top. At the waist, it cinched in with a fabric belt, and then flowed out. The blue matched her eyes, making them stand out more than usual.

"You're beautiful," Spencer admitted. Elsa blushed and so did he.

"I think I'm going to buy it. And Ember, remind me to _never_ let Hunter pick out my clothes again."

"Deal," I agreed.

"Your brother is here?" Spencer asked.

"Oh, yeah. Speaking of, he's not all fond of me talking to strangers. Not that you're a stranger to me but to him you are and it's just not something you want to get into. You should probably-"

"Who's this?" Hunter demanded, suddenly appearing on the other side of our sister. The rest of our pack was behind him, staring at the new boy suspiciously.

"I'm Spencer, Elsa's dance partner."

"What are you doing in a dress store?"

"Searching for my friend. She said she was here but I guess she's not anymore."

"Then you should leave if she's not here," Hunter pointed out.

"Hunter, be nice. We ran into each other, that's all. Spencer, this is Hunter, my older brother. Hunter, this is Spencer."

"I know who he is," Hunter responded shortly.

"Spencer?" A girl called out. We all peered behind him. She appeared from behind the clothing racks. She flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder. The girl had money. There was no mistaking the Burberry coat and scarf she was wearing. She wore boots that gave her a completely badass vibe. I didn't like it. I wanted to be the only badass looking person in the room… does that sound weird?

She halted when she saw all of us in front of Spencer. She glanced at him before saying, "Are you causing trouble Spence?"

"Who are you?" Hunter inquired.

Elsa stepped in. "This is Carter. She's a friend of Spencer's."

"I didn't ask you Elsa. I asked her," he told her. My sister hung her head. There was a gleam in Carter's eyes when her eyes met Hunter's. It almost appeared as if she was challenging him the way she stood and the way she lifted her head when speaking to him. That would not go over well with my brother.

"My name is Carter. I'm Spencer's friend. We have an event we're going to and we're finding outfits. We got separated," she explained.

"How do you know Elsa?"

"I met her briefly when I was picking up Spencer from dance."

"Bull. You two know each other more than just one conversation. Elsa, is he the reason you've been sneaking out at night?"

"What?" My pack and I said simultaneously.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elsa said.

"I'm not stupid. You've been sneaking out almost every night, and it's not because you're going to see Anna."

My sister's nostrils flared. "Don't bring her up. Not here."

"Then I'm right? You've been sneaking out to see him?"

"I-"

"You might as well tell him Elsa. He won't give up until he knows," Carter interrupted. Both Spencer and Elsa whipped their heads in her direction.

"What do you mean?" My sister questioned cautiously.

"Yeah, what do you mean?" Spencer chimed in, looking particularly alarmed.

"About you and Spencer. You can't hide it from them forever."

"Are you two friends with benefits or something?" Noah queried.

"No!" Elsa and Spencer declared vehemently.

"Did you two hook up and he's your baby daddy or something?"

"I'm going to kill both you and Ember tonight," Elsa snarled.

"We'll just continue our antics up in heaven then," I said.

"At least I won't have to hear anything," she retorted.

"Noah, be quiet," Hunter ordered. "Elsa, tell me what the hell is going on."

When she didn't say anything, Carter did. "You seriously haven't figured it out? They're dating."

"What?!" I and the other pack members exclaimed. Elsa closed her eyes.

"Oh my god it makes so much sense now!" Thea claimed. "You two were pretending to hate each other to throw me and Riley off when in reality you two were dating!"

Spencer's face was tomato red. He kept staring at Elsa desperately. When her gaze met his, an understanding seemed to pass through them. Elsa spoke up. "We started dating about two months ago. No one was supposed to find out, mainly because I knew no one in my family would approve. Yes, we acted like we didn't like each other to throw off any suspicion because I was afraid of Riley and Thea figuring it out and telling it to Hunter who in turn would repeat it to mom and dad."

"Elsa, a word. _Now_," Hunter growled. He stalked off. Before leaving, Elsa said, "Y'all just have a nice chat. I'll be back. Maybe."

* * *

**Elsa**

I thought it was impossible for things to get any more awkward between me and Spencer. I was dreadfully wrong. I knew Lily had been trying to cover Caleb and so was I, but to say Spencer and I were dating? This just got to a whole new level of craziness.

Hunter led me to the back of the store, out of ear shot from the pack. He faced me with pure rage on his face. "What the hell Elsa? What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I'm sorry!" I said. "I'm so sorry you had to find out this way!"

"How the hell are we going to explain this to mom and dad?"

"We're not going to tell them! They can't find out!"

"Elsa, he's human! We're not allowed to date them!"

"I know that but god, he's so- so…"

"So what? What makes him so special that you would go against our rules?"

"Because he gets me and-"

"Don't give me that 'he gets me' crap. I don't believe it," my brother growled. "You're lying. Your heart is beating a hundred miles a minute."

I crossed my arms tightly across my chest. I did that whenever I was uncomfortable and this situation certainly was that. "Of course my heart is beating a hundred miles a minutes! I'm frazzled! I didn't expect any of you to find out! And you should believe it. He _does _get me. He gets what I've been through. Hunter, there are so many things I have never told or Ember or mom or dad or anyone."

"What things?"

"I-I don't want to talk about it. It's not exactly easy for me to admit."

Hunter placed his hands on my shoulders. "You can tell me anything Elsa, you know that. I may not understand but I'll listen. I promise."

My heart pounded as I took a deep breath. I was trying to figure out the best way to explain what was going on when my mouth blurted out, "I had depression, okay? Twice."

Hunter blinked. "What?"

"I had depression. First when Anna died and then after Caleb left. It was a shorter period when Anna died because I had Caleb to talk to. We shared the same guilt over her death so he got it. When he left, I lost another family member, I lost my closest friend, and that's when the second period hit. I didn't want to eat, I didn't enjoy the things I used to, I was tired all the time… but I forced myself to act normal because I thought all of you had more important things to worry about. Mom started catching on so that's why when she said I had to do some activity, I chose dance. It helped. It distracted me. I'm better now but Spencer, he lost three people really close to him. Don't tell him I told you that, he doesn't like people knowing. He's like me. He puts on a façade and acts like everything is okay when in reality he's breaking on the inside. We bonded over being able to relate and it just sort of… went from there."

"No, no, no, never think for a second that any of us have something more important than your health, physical or mental. Oh god Elsa, I wish I knew. I could've helped. I don't know how but I'd figure out a way," Hunter said firmly yet strangely gentle. "You're my baby sister. I don't know how serious your depression got but please, for the love of god, if you ever go through another bout of depression, come to me. I can't lose you too."

I hugged my brother tightly. "It never got to a deadly point if that's what you're wondering. I saw what the death of Anna and the leaving of Caleb did to all of you. I promised myself I would never make any of you feel that way again. I still have too much to live for Hunter. I'm not going anywhere."

Hunter pulled away. "You don't always have to act so strong Elsa. I feel people don't tell you that enough."

"But I do. I'm a Guardian. We're expected to be these big, strong, badass people."

"And you can still be big, strong, and badass while telling people what's going on. You had to be strong in telling me what you just did. I can tell that wasn't easy for you. You've hid that a while. Promise me you'll come to me for anything that's bothering you. I don't care if it's four in the morning. I will get up for you."

"Promise."

Hunter sighed. "Thank you. Now, Elsa, do you know what you're getting into? Dating a human I mean."

"I do. I know he's not going to be around forever. He's just visiting some good friends of his and then he's heading back home. I don't know when that is but he makes me happy. So please just let me have this small bit of happiness while it lasts."

"What about mom and dad?"

"They can't know. They'll kill him, Carter and anyone else associated with him. It has to be kept secret."

"I'll keep it a secret and I'll tell everyone else here to do the same but I can't promise they'll do it. You know they love to gossip."

"You're a freaking alpha, Hunter. You can get them to keep their traps shut. I mean Ember and Noah will be dead by tonight after what they've said so you don't have to worry about them saying anything."

Hunter snorted. "I'll do my best. Let's go back."

"Actually, can you go and send Spencer back? I want to talk to him. Privately. Boyfriend girlfriend talk."

"Sure. I'll talk with everyone about keeping it a secret. I love you Elsa," Hunter said, kissing me on the top of my head.

"I love you too," I replied. The minute he disappeared, I collapsed onto the bench next to me. What had I gotten myself into? This was insane! I ran my hands nervously through my hair.

"Elsa?" Spencer asked hesitantly. I looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

"No, far from it. I'm lying to my family about dating a guy, saying he's human when he's not, and now we have to act like a couple. I've never dated a guy in my life so I don't even know how to act like a girlfriend. Then there's the matter that we've barely spoken to each other and I don't know how in the hell we're going to pull this off and then we have to explain to Caleb what's happening and I know for a fact he's not going to be happy about this and-"

"Elsa," Spencer said, placing his hands on my arms as he knelt in front of me. "We'll figure it out. We have to. We won't have to act like a couple around Lily and Caleb because they'll know the truth. We can go back to our original arrangement where we make awkward small talk and then go about our business whenever they're around. We only have to act like a couple in front of your family. How often does your family see us together? Hardly ever. We won't have to pretend much. Focus on that part of this situation okay? You won't have to deal with me too much."

"I needed to hear that. Thank you. Okay, I told Hunter the reason we bonded was because we both experienced the same thing. Before you get mad, I had to tell him the truth about what both of us went through so he'd really understand. I didn't go into detail about your situation, just mine. That's for you and only you to tell. He's going to keep quiet about it and he's going to tell the others to be quiet about our 'relationship' as well. If my parents found out, they'd kill you, Lily, and Caleb and there's no way in hell I'm letting that happen."

Spencer nodded. "I understand. Now what do you say we head back before they think we're up to something we're not?"

I smiled. "Trust me, Ember has already thought of it."

Spencer held out his hand for me. I took it and we went back to my pack. Lily was talking to Ember. The former was in alpha mode. I could tell she and Hunter did not like each other right now. That's what happened when alphas who didn't know each other got together.

"There you two are. What were you two doing?" Ember asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Nothing you're thinking of," I snapped.

"Spencer, I hate to drag you away from your girlfriend, but we have to go. Elsa, I'll see you soon, I'm sure. Laroche pack, it was nice to meet you," Lily, or Carter, said.

"What did you call us?" Hunter stared at her.

"The Laroche pack. You act like a pack of wolves. And if you were, you'd definitely be an alpha."

"Oh yeah? What gave that away?"

"You're an ass. I'd be an alpha too because I'm an ass as well. So is my boyfriend. How Spencer puts up with us I have no idea. We'll see each other again." Lily gave me a hug. Spencer kissed me on the cheek before he left with his alpha.

"The girls and I are going to go take off our dresses. I think we all know which ones we're getting," Ember said. Laurel, Akira, Thea, and Josilyn hurried to their dressing rooms. Ember walked slowly back with me.

"Are you two really dating? Because I can't believe he just left you with only a kiss on the cheek," my sister remarked. "Surely you two have been itching to stop hiding it from all of us and sneaking around to see each other."

"That's my doing. I'm not comfortable showing affection in public. I'm not like you, Ember. That was one of the things we were talking about just now," I lied. Well, it was only a partial lie. The first two parts of that sentence were true. The last part, not so much.

"There's no problem showing affection in public just as long as it's not overdone. Come on, let's buy these dresses and get out of here. I don't know about you but I'm exhausted." I agreed whole-heartedly. The two of us switched back into our regular clothes. Hunter took our dresses and purchased them all for us. I fell asleep in the car on the way back home. After all that had happened in the past thirty minutes, I needed a rest.

* * *

**How do y'all think this whole lying about dating thing is going to go for Elsa and Spencer? Let me know in reviews :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hope you're enjoying the story! :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Aw, you're cute when you're jealous."  
**_**~Wolfsbane  
**_

* * *

Chapter 17

**Elsa**

I paced up and down the room, waiting impatiently for Ember to finish dressing. Incredibly I'd finished before her. That typically didn't happen. Someone knocked on our door. I went and opened it. Hunter, Josilyn, and Noah stood there.

"Are you two ready?" Hunter queried.

"Ready!" Ember hollered, exiting the bathroom as she slipped on her heels. "Sorry, couldn't get my dress to zip. The zipper kept getting stuck on a thing of fabric."

"Well let's hurry up. We shouldn't be late," Hunter said.

"Why do we have to go to this? I could be practicing for the dance competition," I groaned. I wasn't comfortable being in large groups around people I didn't know. Everyone else in my pack seemed to have no problem interacting with others, even Akira even if she only just listened to whoever was with her. I wasn't good at small talk. I never had been.

"Because we're going to be running the hotel as a pack and that means we all have to be apart of this and meet everyone. Relax Elsa. You'll be fine. Stick with me okay?"

I wrapped my hand around his arm to help comfort myself. Josilyn peered at me from the other side.

"I heard they have a chocolate fountain. I say we head straight to it. What do you say Elsa?" Josilyn asked.

I smiled at her, knowing what she was trying to do. "That sounds wonderful. Let's do it."

We arrived at the door to the ballroom where our family was waiting. My mom commented on how fantastic we all looked before adding, "Keep an eye out on things. We don't know when the Hunters could strike, it could be any time, so be wary of everyone and everything. You see anything suspicious, come to me or Ren. All right, let's go."

Our entire pack, all thirty of us, entered the room. The place was already packed. I saw a few familiar faces from past years. One guy was named Tony Goldshaw. He was a pervert. He'd practically tried flirting with all the girls in our pack until he realized who our parents were. My dad audibly growled when he found out. Mr. Goldshaw didn't appear the rest of that night. I think that was about four or five years ago. When he saw us this time, he made a beeline for the other side of the room. I bit back a laugh. My dad caught my eye. With the victorious twinkle in his eyes, I knew he'd seen it too.

Josilyn, Hunter, and I made our way to the chocolate fountain. Strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, and other delicious items lined the table, waiting for me to put them under the chocolate waterfall. I took one of everything. The wonderful thing about being a Guardian is that we have fantastic metabolisms. We could pretty much eat anything without gaining a pound, and if we did gain anything, we lost it in a few days.

"See anyone you recognize?" Hunter asked, glancing around the room.

"A few familiar faces but none I want to talk to," I answered, stuffing my mouth with a chocolate covered strawberry.

"Oh, it's Mrs. Turner! Let's go say hi!" Josilyn insisted. Hunter readily agreed but I said, "I'll be here. Guarding the table."

My brother and friend didn't push me. They left me standing by myself. I shuffled over to an empty table, scanning the room to see where all my family was. My parents were talking to a group of people; Shiloh and Carrie, Rigg and Erin, and Loren and Melinda were dancing; Nancy and Derek, Taki and Frank, Reyna and Dean, and Sam and Casey were all eating. The kids were simply talking to others close to our age.

My hand went for another chocolate-covered delight but was met with nothing. Glancing down, I realized my plate was empty. I got back up, going for more. As I walked up to the table, I halted in my tracks when I saw a familiar face.

"Spencer?"

His head turned to me instantly. "Elsa?"

"What are you doing here?" We both inquired at the same time.

"You first," he said.

"It's tradition that the entire Laroche pack comes. What are you doing here and should I know about some other people here?"

"Lily, Caleb, and I were all invited. The host found out we were in Colorado and invited us. Plus we've sort of been looking into developing a hotel here so it's good to know the competition. We're _all_ here. Caleb's been keeping an eye on all of your packmates, making sure he stays far away from all of them. Lucky for him, they all seem to stick together. I'd say go see him but-"

"But if my family sees me talking to a guy by myself, they're going to question it. I can't make up an excuse for a guy that looks just like my missing brother. You, on the other hand, have a very valid excuse as to be talking to me," I stated, my tone taking on a more amused sound.

Spencer grinned. "And which part would that be? Me being your dance partner or me being your pretend boyfriend?"

"The former one for most of my pack, both for the ones that think we're dating. Speaking of dating, thank you for playing along with this whole thing. How did it go with my brother? He didn't give you too hard of a time about this did he?"

"No, not really."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Now Caleb on the other hand…"

"What?!"

Spencer laughed. "He's fine. But yeah, I already ran into Hunter. He and Caleb pretty much both said if I hurt you in any way, shape, or form, they will kill me. Would you like to go dance?"

"Sure." Spencer took my hand in his so he could lead me to the dance floor.

"Okay," He said, taking the lead, "How are you holding up with this whole fake dating thing?"

"Could be worse. We don't have to pretend often, just in front of some of my family. At least they don't all know. Although I'm glad you're the one pretending to be my fake boyfriend. It does make it easier having it be someone I know."

"Out of curiosity, how am I doing as your fake boyfriend?"

"You are doing wonderfully," I told him with a smile. I paused for a few seconds before adding, "I still want my brother to stay here and I'm going to keep prodding him until he either goes back to Canada or stays here, but in the event he does go back, I'm glad he has you and Lily. I really am."

"Do you want me to prod him to?"

I gave him a suspicious glance. "You'd do that?"

"I would. I kind of like it here. Besides, my girlfriend lives here." Spencer winked playfully at me.

* * *

**Ember**

I was hanging out with Noah when I felt someone staring at me. However, all glances around the room resulted in nothing. It put me on edge. Noah picked up on it.

"What's wrong?" he asked, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"I don't know. I just have a strange- uh oh."

"What?"

"Looks like mom and dad discovered Spencer. I need to warn Elsa." Noah sighed but tagged along with me. We maneuvered our way over there as fast as possible. I grabbed my sister by the shoulder and yanked her away from Spencer, barely having time to say 'Dad' before he showed up. Hurriedly I said, "How did you get into dance Spencer?"

Thankfully the guy was quick on his feet and replied, "A friend of mine dragged me along to a class one day. I got hooked on the hip hop part. The ballroom dancing not so much. It helped when I got a great dance partner though."

"Feelings mutual. I might actually win this competition with you. My last partner, so sweet but he had two left feet," Elsa added.

"Elsa, who's this?" My mom asked sweetly. She was holding my dad's hand, well, squeezing it more like it, which told me she was taking the charge in this conversation. Sometimes my dad's 'I'm the big man on campus' attitude didn't always get results.

"Mom, dad, this is Spencer Barnes. Spencer, these are my parents, Arya and Ren Laroche," my sister introduced.

"Pleasure to meet you," my mom said. She and my dad shook his hand. "How do you two know each other?"

"I'm Elsa's dance partner in the competition this weekend. I offered when I found out her other one was unable to do it."

"Why'd you volunteer?" my dad queried.

"I have a lot of time on my hands sir."

"What are you doing in Estes?"

"My sister and her boyfriend came to visit friends of theirs and rather than spending all my time by myself back home, I came with them. We knew we'd be there a while so I decided to pick up a dance class."

"Where's home?"

"Dad, do you really need to interrogate him? We were just having a friendly chat and a dance," Elsa defended, sounding exasperated.

"I'd like to get to know who my daughter is hanging out with," Ren responded. "So, Spencer, where's home?"

"Canada, sir."

"I see. So what are you doing here? Do your parents own a hotel around here?"

"No, sir. My sister, her boyfriend, and I own it. Our parents-" Spencer halted in his speech, the color started draining out of his face.

"He and his sister lost their parents and Spencer's girlfriend a few months ago. The three of them thought that it might be good to come down here for a while, get a change of scenery," Elsa explained quietly.

"I'm sorry, Spencer. We know how painful it is to lose people close to you," Arya remarked kindly.

"Thank you ma'am."

"Well, we'll let you get back to your chat. It was a pleasure meeting you Spencer. We'll see you at the dance competition," Arya said. She and Ren walked away. Elsa let out a big sigh.

"Thank you so much for that," she said.

"Hey, we promised we'd keep it a secret from mom and dad while it lasts," I replied. "We meant it. Listen I'm going to go to the restroom. Oh, and if you want to keep your little secret from the rest of the pack, maybe be careful with the dancing. You two were rather close."

Elsa and Spencer sheepishly took a step apart. My sister actually moved closer to me and said, "I think I'll head to the bathroom with you. Spencer, I'll see you in a minute okay. Say hi to your sister, and tell her I'll see her in a few minutes? I want to say hi."

The two of us hurried to the bathroom. The moment I was in there, the strange feeling I'd been experiencing earlier disappeared. I let out a sigh of relief.

"You okay?" Elsa questioned.

"No. I have a strange feeling, like someone was watching me the entire time I was in that room but I couldn't see anyone," I remarked. "Am I being paranoid?"

"We're being hunted. It's okay to be paranoid. Hell, it could probably save your life one day. I'll be alert and let you know if I see anything but I think it's just being in a big group of people and the circumstances that we're under that's getting to you."

"How are you so calm about this?"

Elsa shrugged. "Because I know I'm going to be fighting in this war against the Hunters, and that means I can get justice for Anna."

"How long have you wanted to do this?"

"Since I found out the Hunters were still out there. I found out a while ago when I was eavesdropping on a conversation between mom and dad. About… five or six years ago."

"Is that what you do whenever you're in your room? Try and find the Hunters?"

"I first tried convincing Aunt Adne to send me information but she wouldn't do it. Then I may have tried to hack into the Searchers' database to find out where any known Hunters were but I wasn't smart enough to hack into it and I was worried they might find out what I'm doing so I stopped. Then I chose to eavesdrop on our parents and sneak into dad's files on his computer to see what they know. So far I haven't even been able to get past his password. I've hit dead end after dead end unfortunately," she mumbled.

"Hey," I said, placing my hands on her shoulder. "I know you want to get Anna's killers but she wouldn't want you so fixated on this. She'd want you living life because in our lives right now, you never really know when it's going to be your last."

"But Ember-"

"Listen to me Elsa, you are this phenomenal dancer with a super gorgeous boyfriend no matter how long he's going to be here and despite how you feel sometimes, you have somewhere you belong and somewhere you will always belong with people who love you. You have to stop living in the past, okay? Please?"

My sister hung her head. "You talked to Hunter, didn't you? What all did he tell you?"

"Actually, not a thing. I was in the back of the group letting the others interrogate your little boyfriend and overheard some of the stuff you said. I didn't want to bring it up if I didn't have to but I think you needed to hear it. Now let's actually use the bathroom and get out there. I'm sure Spencer is missing his girlfriend."

"Yeah, right. And Spencer is far from little."

"Oh? In what manner are we referring to?" I grinned.

"Ember!" Elsa exclaimed. "I didn't- I'm talking about his height and muscles! Not-"

"I know, I know, I just wanted to mess with you." Rolling her eyes, my sister entered a stall. After doing our business and checking each other's hair and makeup, we went back out. Elsa hastily made her way to Spencer who was talking to Hunter and Noah. All three boys looked on edge. They weren't the only ones. That strange feeling had returned, and I still couldn't place it. It was bugging me.

"Are you okay miss?" a guy asked, coming up next to me.

"Uh, yeah, just surveying the crowd," I replied.

"I see. Anything you're looking for in particular? Food? Family? A dance partner? Not necessarily in that order," he joked. I actually smiled. "My name is Dominic Stone, but you can call me Dom. It's Ember, right? Ember Laroche?"

"How did you know that?" I inquired, my guard instantly going up.

He laughed. "Easy tiger. Everyone knows who the Laroches are here. Besides, I saw your dad earlier and you look just like him."

"I'm more like a wolf than a tiger."

"About that dance partner…"

I smirked at him. "Sure. Why not?"

Dom took my hand and led me to the dance floor. His green eyes scanned the room, similar to what I'd been doing earlier, trying to search for whoever or whatever was giving me that weird feeling. It was still there, but it was different. Again, I couldn't place why.

"Ember, can I ask you something?" Dom questioned, looking down at me.

"You just did, but ask away," I replied.

"Could we maybe… go somewhere private?"

"Private? To talk or something else?"

"To talk. I have a girlfriend. Of sorts."

"So where is she and why are you dancing with me?"

"Follow me and I'll explain."

This was a terrible idea. For all I knew, this guy was a Hunter (a very attractive one…) who was going to kill me the minute we were alone. But, of course, my curiosity got the better of me. I let him lead me outside the ballroom to a conference room nearby. He shut the door and sat on the table.

"Listen, I'm know what you are and no, I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to help you. I'm also here to request help from you, if you're willing," Dom informed.

"You know what I am?" I demanded.

"Yes. You're a Guardian. A wolf to be specific. You find the bears farther up north and the cats farther south. Back on track, I wanted to talk to you about your sister."

"What do you want to know about Elsa?"

"I'm not talking about Elsa, although I did consider talking to her too."

"Well I only have one sister and why aren't you talking to her?"

"She has enough on her plate as it is between dance and her boyfriend and keeping her family at bay from her personal life. I thought you were the next safest bet. My biggest problem with you is your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? Wait, you mean Noah? He's not my boyfriend. We're like a… friends with benefits. And you never answered my question. I only have one sister."

"He sure didn't like us dancing together. Might want to make sure he still wants to be just friends with benefits. I'm worried he knows you too well and if you agree to my request, that he'll try and follow you, us. And as for your question, you do have another sister."

"Unless my mom cheated on my dad, then no, I don't. I only have Elsa."

"But I'm not talking about Elsa. I'm talking about Anna."

* * *

**What's this Dom guy's deal and what is he talking about Anna for (SACarter, no spoilers)? Let me know in a review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**So the first draft of this got deleted when my computer did a restart twice and it didn't autosave the second time -_- so here it is now!**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Just because you're a warrior doesn't mean you can't be enticing."**

* * *

Chapter 18

**Ember**

We were all waiting for Elsa's hip-hop dance routine in the theater. Unfortunately I hadn't been able to sit next to Noah and had ended up at the very end of our pack. However, that did leave a vacant seat next to me which was quickly occupied by Dom. I still didn't fully trust him but after he explained how Anna was alive and had shown me proof (by proof I mean Anna wearing a leather jacket I knew for a fact Elsa didn't wear because I'd raided her closet a few times without her knowing), I had to believe him.

Noah was texting me while we waited. Somehow we ended up on the topic of the event a few days ago. I felt my heart speed up a little when he asked about "that guy you were dancing with and disappeared with". How could I explain that this strange man just told me my dead sister was actually alive and kicking? So I told Noah nothing happened between me and Dom. I mean nothing happened between us except for a conversation. Even if Dom and I _had _done something, it's not like Noah should be jealous. The two of us were just friends with benefits. I'm sure he'd gotten with other girls. I didn't care. But then again, I'd never seen him talking to any human girls anywhere we went, he always stuck next to me, and Hunter always paired us together in everything he could.

My thoughts were interrupted by Dominic nudging me. In dark wash jeans and a dark blue shirt, he looked incredibly dangerous, although that might've been partly due to his scruff. His eyes scanned the room, taking everything in.

"How are you?" he queried, not looking at me.

"Not bad although I hate keeping this from Elsa. She deserves to know," I whispered, hoping Barry, who was sitting next to me, wouldn't hear anything.

"We'll tell her when we get a lead. So far I've got nothing. I'm assuming the same goes for you?"

I nodded. "My parents are breathing down all of our necks because of the threat we're under. It's dangerous for you to even be near me. What are you doing here?"

"Protecting you and your family. Believe it or not, I've been keeping an eye on all of you while I've been trying to find Anna. Only when you leave that fortress of yours though, don't worry. I couldn't get near that place. It was also to determine which one of you I could come into contact with the easiest."

"You do know my parents would've killed you first if they caught you and asked questions later?"

"You'll find I'm very good at sneaking around. Now, we should probably stop talking. Your boyfriend is giving me a strange look, and by strange I mean he obviously wants to rip my throat out."

"He's not my boyfriend!" I muttered. At that, Dom and I fell silent. I pulled out my phone to reply to Noah. He didn't respond back like he usually did and I knew it wasn't because he was watching the performance. I glanced down the aisle at him, knowing he could see me. When he ignored me quite studiously, I leaned back angrily.

Elsa's first dance was her hip hop routine which was done with Thea, Riley, and Spencer. It was seriously impressive. I don't know how my sister and packmates could twist their bodies to do some of those stunts. However, my favorite part was when all the guys slid on the stage on their knees and ripped their shirts off while the girls placed one foot on the guys' chest. I wondered if my parents saw anything between Elsa and Spencer because there was no denying the look between them, not to mention the devilish grin Spencer was giving my sister who was trying not to smirk back but failing miserably.

There were three more groups after them before there was a twenty minute intermission. In that time period, most people filed out to go get something to eat or use the bathroom. My family and I took the time to meet with Elsa, Thea and Riley before Elsa had to change outfits and makeup. Her next performance wasn't for another two hours but her teacher wanted enough padding in the time to make sure that if anything went wrong, they had time to fix it.

"That was awesome!" Jake exclaimed when Thea and Riley approached us.

"You two were wonderful," Melinda praised. Similar comments came from all of us.

"Where's Elsa?" Hunter asked.

"She was grabbing something to drink with her dance partner before coming over," Thea said.

"Her dance partner is gorgeous," Gracie said in a very matter-of-fact voice. A growl erupted from Dmitri's voice. Laughing, she placed a kiss on his cheek. "But he ain't got nothing on you."

"Speak of the devil," Noah grumbled. I saw Elsa coming over to us but she wasn't alone. Spencer was with her. He'd thrown on a jacket but he had it unzipped halfway so you see the beginning of his well-defined abs.

"Hey!" Elsa said cheerfully. "Sorry, I was so thirsty after that. I had to get something to drink. Oh! Before I forget, Spencer, you know my brother and sister, Josilyn, Noah, Laurel, Akira, Sebastian, Barry, Thea, and Riley. The others are Jake, Oliver, Gracie, Dmitri, and Diana."

"Pleasure to meet all of you," Spencer said with a disarming smile.

"Elsa, sweetie, you were amazing!" My mom declared, hugging my sister. Pulling away, her eyes rested on Spencer. "You did fantastic as well. Where's your family? Have you seen them yet? If not, I'll go with you. I'd like to meet them."

"They just left. Someone from our hotel was calling. It was an emergency of some sort," Spencer replied.

"Will you be heading back?"

"Maybe for a little bit but we'll be coming back to Colorado. Despite my sister's whinging, she does love it here, she just doesn't want her boyfriend to know, just to mess with him. She does miss home though so she won't be complaining if they go back."

"I hope for Elsa's sake you get back here sooner than later because I don't think she'll find another dance partner like you," my mom said with a smile.

"Hey, why don't you two take a picture?" I suggested. When the two of them smiled for my camera, I added, "Oh no big boy, I mean in your costumes, and since you ripped half of yours off, I guess it's just the pants for you."

His face flushed from embarrassment but he did as I requested. I don't know why this guy had no issues ripping his shirt off in front of a thousand people but when it came to taking a shirtless picture with his girlfriend, he got embarrassed. Although that may've been because all of us Laroche girls were blatantly staring at him…

I snapped the picture and then made them do other poses. This continued until my dad interrupted us, saying in a rather irked manner, that Elsa and Spencer better get backstage to get ready, that twenty minutes was up. Elsa gave dad a hug and dashed off back with Spencer who was laughing trying to keep up with her. Dad watched them with a careful eye. I wished my sister had her phone on her so I could tell her to be careful with Spencer around dad but she'd left it with us. Mom came up to dad, looping her arm through his. Any suspicious thoughts fled his mind when he looked down at her, her face instantly went soft. Watching them made me realize that I wanted a love like theirs. Problem was finding something like it, finding the right person.

Josilyn wrapped her arm around me, breaking me out of my trance. We entered the theater again, taking our seats. It felt like forever until Elsa and Spencer came out. Honestly, I was kind of shocked by my sister's outfit. I know she'd lied about some of the dress rehearsals because she wanted to sneak out to see Spencer but I did know that most of the time she was telling the truth. I even heard my dad mutter: "This is what took so long at those dress rehearsals?"

Elsa's dress looked more like they just wrapped fabric around her and pinned it together. It was solid black. The only 'sparkle' in her outfit was her eyeshadow and some glitter dust in her hair that was pinned back by a hair clip. A beautiful piano intro began their song as Spencer took Elsa's hand in his and wrapped the other around her waist. Their dance began. For wearing such a tightly wrapped dress, my sister sure could move in it. They tangoed forward. My sister did a kick so high that it nearly went over her head. They did a few spins before Spencer grabbed the fabric on her right shoulder. Elsa spun out of the black fabric, revealing a stunning red, sparkling dress. My family, along with pretty much everyone in the audience, cheered loudly. Spencer strode over to my sister and took her in his arms again. My mind could barely keep up with their footwork, let alone how they did some of the lifts. I mean he was twisting her around his body and Elsa seemed to have no problem being able to do so. Did I mention she was in heels that were at least three inches? I couldn't believe how incredible at dancing they were, and the _chemistry_. No one could fake that. The dance, you could tell, was about a guy trying to woo a stubborn girl. I personally found it amusing since it kind of seemed to fit Spencer and Elsa's relationship right now. They might be dating but I could tell he was still trying get her to really like him. She did of course, she just hid it extremely well.

At the end of the song, my breath caught in my throat- first from the complicated lift they'd done and second, how they ended it. Spencer had his arm around Elsa's waist as she hooked her arm around his neck and went down in the splits. He went down with her, ending up in a kneeling position. Their foreheads were braced against each other, their eyes staring at nothing but each other. I swear they wanted to kiss in that second and after the intimacy they had to show in their performance, I was pretty sure anyone would want to kiss their partner after that.

The crowd was going wild. It was Elsa who broke their intense stare-down by laughing. Spencer gave her a grin, easily lifting her up with one arm. They faced the stage and took a couple bows. The cheers didn't stop. I knew right then and there my sister and Spencer had won that section in the competition. The two of them exited the stage. I think the shoes were hurting her feet because she was limping a little bit. Spencer saw this and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, helping her hobble off the stage. They'd been the last dance so it was going to be another two hours before the award ceremony. Everyone filed out, most people going back to their hotels. My family and I waited for Elsa to come out.

* * *

**Elsa**

We'd both come way too close. Too close to kissing. While I wouldn't mind at all, I didn't want it to be in front of my entire family, especially when most didn't know I was 'dating' him. Hell, I wasn't even dating him.

"How are your feet?" Spencer asked from the dressing room next to me.

"It's really good I'm a Guardian or else I wouldn't be able to walk right now," I replied. "Thank you for helping me off that stage."

"I would've carried you but uh… your family might… after that…"

"Yeah, probably wouldn't have been a good idea. Not to mention your pack-"

"Well Lily kind of believes we're actually dating but thinks that we're acting like we're not to throw off suspicion coming from Caleb and other people in your family."

I laughed. "She ships us?"

"She what's us?"

"Ships. It means someone wants two people to be together. For example, in Harry Potter, some people shipped Hermione and Draco. They called Dramione. Then in the Percy Jackson books, people shipped Percy with Annabeth. They were called Percabeth."

"Oh god, I hope Lily doesn't come up with a ship name for us," Spencer grumbled.

"I'm working on it!" She called out. I opened my door a crack and peered out. Lily and Caleb stood there with big smiles on their face. I hurriedly finished getting dressed and ran over to them, hugging my brother first.

"You were brilliant out there," He said. "I know you're going to win."

"That was incredible!" Lily exclaimed, giving me a hug.

"If you hug her any tighter, you're going to crush her," Spencer remarked in amusement, coming up behind me. She rolled her eyes but let go of me.

"So, that fake dating thing, are you sure you two are actually faking it?" Lily questioned.

I turned to Spencer. "You weren't kidding were you?"

He gave me an 'I-told-you-so' look while Lily and Caleb stared at us confusedly. My brother shook his head and asked, "Listen, Lily and I have a room on the top floor. If you can, maybe you can sneak up to see us tonight? I'll text you the room number but we have a treat for the both of you, if you want."

"Is it cake? Please tell me it's cake," I begged. "Also, can someone please carry me outside? My feet are still killing me."

"Hop on my back," Spencer said. Since he was so tall, he lowered himself down so I wouldn't have to jump and put pressure on my feet. Once I had my arms firmly wrapped around his neck and my legs locked across his torso, the four of us set off. Lily and Caleb said bye before Spencer and I entered the foyer of the theater building where my family was waiting for me.

The second Spencer set me down, my family pounced on me with hugs and congratulations. I was a little overwhelmed by it all.

"Guys, give her some room," Hunter ordered. "You're going to make her claustrophobic."

I smiled gratefully at my big brother who wrapped his arm around me. I looked over at Spencer when he let out a grunt. Ember had him in a bear hug, telling him he had been fantastic. I glanced over at Noah who was staring at Spencer with utter hatred. I cleared my throat to get my sister's attention. Thankfully she got the hint and backed off.

"Who wants to go get something to eat?!" Riley hollered. "I declare we go get ice cream!"

"I'm in!" Thea chimed in.

"That's all I really care about," he said, giving her a cheeky grin. She gave him a playful nudge.

"Spencer, would you like to join us?" Ember asked. My mom and dad's heads snapped over in our direction, the former surprised, the latter disapproving.

"Thank you for the offer Ember, but considering the look not only is your dad giving me, but also Noah, I must decline. I do value my life," he said.

"My dad disapproves of anyone not in our pack, and Noah, well, he just has a stick up his ass today and I have no idea why," my sister responded. If possible, my brother's second's expression turned even more murderous.

"I promise we won't kill you," my mom said, walking up next to Ember. "You are very welcome to join us. Don't worry, I can keep my husband at bay and I think Elsa will keep anyone else at bay. You're also welcome to join us for dinner. It's not a problem to add one more to our reservation. Actually, you're definitely coming. Would your family like to come?"

"Uh, they're having issues with the hotel so I don't think they'd be able to make it," Spencer said nervously. He wasn't the only one. My parents had never invited another person to dinner with us. There had to be an ulterior motive here.

"Very well. Ren, would you please call the restaurant and add an extra person to the reservation?" My dad nodded, obviously not liking the idea but not wanting to argue with my mom because he knew he'd get nowhere. I saw Loren and Shiloh were watching my mom carefully. They'd always been extremely protective of her. It got on her nerves a lot but she never told them that. But what they had to protect her against from Spencer, I had no idea.

"Hey, while we're at it, why don't you invite your friend, Ember? You know, that one you snuck off with the other night at the dinner?" Noah said.

My sister's temper flared. "Jealous or something, McKay? For your information, even though it's none of your damn business, we just talked. That's it."

"Yes, because whenever you sneak off from a party with someone, you just 'talk'," Noah retorted.

"I am going to shove your tongue so far down your throat, it's going to be sticking out of your-"

"Enough," My father commanded, stepping between the two of them. Ember and Noah instantly cowered. My dad was fierce and tall and deadly. He was the last Guardian I'd ever want to mess with. "Spencer, I'm sorry you had to see that. I don't know what's gotten into the two of them but I assure you it won't happen again. At least not while you're here. Come on everyone, let's go get your ice cream."

I slipped my hand into Spencer's to comfort him. I could tell how nervous he was. Hunter and Josilyn fell back with us.

"Just so you know," Hunter whispered. "My mom and dad have _never_ let anyone come to anything with us. So either they actually like you or they're plotting your death."

"Hunter!" Josilyn chastised. "Don't scare him."

"What?" He looked at her innocently. "I know my parents."

"They won't kill you Spencer," Josilyn assured.

"Not around us," Hunter added.

"Shut up," I laughed, hitting him on the arm. "Besides, I think Spencer could give y'all a run for your money."

"Is that so?"

"He's knows jiu-jitsu."

"What is that? I mean, what's the difference between that and karate?" Hunter queried.

"Jiu-jitsu helps a smaller opponent fight a bigger one, using leverage and proper techniques. I know karate as well," Spencer said.

"So you're like Jackie Chan?"

"More like Chuck Norris. I've beaten Elsa here." He winked at me.

"Once! That was once!" I argued. "Besides, I beat you once and would've beaten you again had Thea and Riley not interrupted us."

"What did we do?" Thea asked.

"Interrupted me kicking Elsa's butt at sparring," Spencer answered.

"I do believe it was the other way around," I corrected.

"If being flipped over onto your back is winning, then yes, you would be," Riley countered. I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. He looked at my brother. "Hey Hunter, why did your parents invite him? They planning on killing him or something?"

"Oh my god, not you too!" I groaned.

"No idea, but it's the only thing coming to mind," Hunter said.

"Do you think they know?" I inquired softly.

"After that dance you two did, they probably think _something _is up between you two, but just what, they don't know."

Spencer chuckled. "I guess we'll find out whether I die tonight or not."

Dinner was fantastic. Firstly because Spencer and I'd placed first with our tango _and _first with our group hip hop routine. Second, my family was actually really cool with Spencer being there. Of course, he was sitting next to my dad, I was sitting next to my mom, but I think it was really just because they wanted to get to know him. For a while, it seemed the dinner would go by without my parents asking any embarrassing questions.

Until dessert.

I was happily munching on a blueberry cheesecake when my dad asked, "Spencer, I must ask because of that dance earlier, but what exactly is your relationship with my daughter?"

I choked on the piece of food I was swallowing. "Dad!"

"I want to know his intentions," my dad said back in a tone that told me there was no way I could persuade him to drop the subject and that there was no way Spencer would be able to get out of this either.

"We're friends, sir," Spencer said.

"Friends? So that kiss that almost happened on stage was going to be a friendly kiss?"

"No sir."

"Do you want to date my daughter?"

"Yes, but considering I won't be here in Colorado forever and she's told me that none of you date outside of the pack, I do believe there's not much hope for me in that area."

"What did you call us?"

"A pack. Sorry, I've heard all of you referencing it like that so I guess I just slipped and said it. Sorry, sir," Spencer apologized.

"No, it's fine. I simply haven't heard someone outside our pack call us that."

"What else has Elsa told you about us?" My mother queried.

"I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing but she doesn't talk much about her family but I think that's more because she's very protective of y'all and of your privacy."

Mom smiled. She liked him. "Yes, we value privacy in this family. How are you sister and her boyfriend by the way? They were okay with you coming to dinner?"

"Sort of. They're very protective of me since I'm the youngest. Her boyfriend is practically like a brother to me."

"I see why you and Elsa get along so well then. The two overprotected children because of your age," Ember piped up. "I'm so glad I was the middle child. Literally. I still am! They let Hunter get away with too much and Elsa with not enough."

Spencer and I shared a look, meaning I got away with more stuff than my sister realized. Just as Spencer was about to say something, his phone rang. He hastily hit ignore. A few seconds later, it rang again. Apologizing profusely for having to answer his phone at the dinner table, he answered, "Hey, I'm at dinner right now… what do you mean…" Spencer's face visibly paled. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can… bye."

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Um, that was my sister. There's an emergency at our hotel back in Canada. We need to get back there immediately. Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, I'm so sorry I have to leave but my sister is frantic and I have to go help her boyfriend get our things ready to go back. Thank you so much for dinner. I can't thank you enough for inviting me," Spencer said.

"I'll walk you out," I offered. Excusing myself from the table, I headed outside with Spencer. Once we were out of sight from my parents, I asked, "What happened?"

"The Hunters just attacked our hotel. They bombed it Elsa. Innocent children and women and men were there. They must've thought we were there because why else would they bomb it? Oh god innocent people died because of us and-"

"Spencer, hey, hey, look at me," I whispered. "This is not your fault. This is the Hunters'. They want to destroy you and your family. What they did is horrific, and they will pay for their crimes. But for now, focus on helping the families that lost loved ones. You, Caleb, and Lily know better than anyone what it's like to lose someone dear to you. You can help them come to terms with it, or at least give them comforting words. I wish I could go with you, help all of you. I know we'll be a few thousand miles away but call me if need to, no matter what time it is."

"I'll be back. I promise. I'll call you when I get there. Please be careful, you and your family," he told me.

"You, Caleb, and Lily be careful as well. Give them my love. I'll see y'all when you get back." Spencer kissed me on the forehead and left. I watched him leave, wondering if I'd ever see him again. These Hunters were ruthless and would do anything to see us dead, including getting innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. But then I reminded myself that Caleb, Lily, and Spencer were all smart. My brother had managed to get all the way to Canada by himself when he was just fourteen. Lily was too damn stubborn to let something like a Hunter kill her. Spencer… he just seemed like a survivor. He _was_ a survivor. They'd all come back. I knew it.

* * *

**Uh oh, the Hunters strike again. A review would be lovely :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**He no longer needed me to be his protector, but he still wanted me."  
****~Wolfsbane**

* * *

Chapter 19

**Caleb**

"How's everything over there?" I asked my sister while I walked into the safe house the Searchers had lent us. Lily and Spencer were at the dining room table on their laptops doing work. I put my phone on speaker so they could hear.

"Everything's going all right. Graduation is going to be here in a couple days and I'm graduating summa cum laude, as is Josilyn. Thea is graduating magna cum laude. Actually, Josilyn is our valedictorian so she'll be making a speech," she explained.

"I'm so proud of my little sister," I said.

"I'm proud of my girlfriend," Spencer added with a slight hint of amusement in his voice. He knew it still bugged me that my beta was dating my little sister but it only bugged me because I knew we weren't going to stay in Estes Park forever. If they really did have a relationship, it would only end in hurt and sadness for the both of them.

"Hi Spencer! Wait am I on speaker?"

"Yeah," I told her. "Lily is here too."

"Hi Lily!"

"Hey Elsa! I bet you're excited to graduate!" Lily said.

"Oh you have no idea. I can't wait to get out of there. Mom is going to be bringing me on sales calls next week, like having me give tours of our hotel to potential big clients. She thinks I'd be good at it. Josilyn is handling the gardening stuff, landscaping it and stuff. Hunter is handling the finances with Noah. I'm not sure what everyone else is doing. I mean the hotel isn't our only business but it's definitely our most profitable one. Jake, Riley, and Dmitri are proposing we create a touring business to see wildlife in the park, mostly us wolves. Mom and dad aren't buying it though."

I snorted. "I can't imagine why. How's mom by the way?"

At this my sister hesitated. "She's been… quiet recently."

"Why's that?"

"Um, she always gets like this when it's this time of year."

"That's not answering my question."

"Caleb, what happened eight years ago?"

I paused for a moment, trying to rack my brain to figure it out. However, it was Spencer who actually said the answer. "Caleb ran off."

"She's never forgotten it… none of us can ever get her out of her slump. We just have to wait a week for it to pass."

"Caleb, why can't you at least call your mother and tell her you're okay?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows at me.

"Because she'll come find me. I don't want her to," I replied.

My girlfriend shook her head. "She's your mother. You should be grateful you have one, especially one who loves you so much. You don't have to talk to her long, just tell her you're safe or something."

"I'll… think about it." I quickly changed the subject. "I wish I could be there for your graduation, Ice Princess."

"I wish you could too, but I know y'all have a lot going on there. H-how many people died?"

"Three: two kids and a woman. Forty-seven were injured. We paid for the funerals and attended them, and then we're paying for all the medical bills."

"I'm sure the families appreciate it."

"They've all been very kind to us. I'm hoping they don't hate us."

"It wasn't your fault. It was a terrorist attack."

"I know, but still, it was still our hotel. Listen, I have to go but I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay. Love you Caleb. Bye Spencer! Bye Lily!"

My packmates said bye and I hung up. Sitting down at the table, I asked, "Do you think there's any way we can get down to Estes early?"

"Way ahead of you actually. I was looking at our schedule and we have no more reason to stay up here. I already have my suitcase packed. We leave tomorrow. We'll get there the day before her graduation. I thought you could surprise her," Lily said.

I kissed her on the cheek. "You're the best."

"Yeah, I know."

Later that night, I was lounging on my bed. Lily was sitting next to me, reading her book. It was ten when our phone rang. Lily and I looked at each other. Who would be calling at this time of night? I started to get up but Lily did so before me, answering the phone.

"Hello?" A muffled voice could be heard on the other end but I couldn't understand what was being said. Lily's face seemed slightly surprised and definitely conflicted. "Um, why don't I give you to a person who knows him better than I do. Hang on."

Lily nodded for me to come over and take the phone from her. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is going to sound crazy so please don't hang up on me but my name is Arya Laroche. Someone sent me this number with the message not to call while anyone was around me and that it was the number for the initials 'CL'. I didn't understand why until I realized my son's initials were 'CL', for Caleb Laroche. This is probably wishful thinking but if he's there, may I please speak to him? And if not, could you maybe give him a message for me?"

I forced myself to keep my voice steady as I told her to give me the message. My heart was trying to beat out of my chest. I sank down into the chair next to me as my mom began giving me the message: "I don't know where to begin honestly. Um, tell him, first and foremost, that I love him and that I miss him every day. Everyone here does. Elsa especially. She and Josilyn still go into his room on his birthday and place flowers in there. Second, tell him it wasn't his fault. We don't blame him, we never have. I know Ren never treated him the same after Anna but it wasn't because he didn't trust him or anything like that, it was because Ren didn't want to lose him too. Third, tell him… tell him he's always welcome home. If he has a girlfriend or a new pack, he can bring them. We'll take them in too. God knows we have enough room to and if it means he'd come home… Fourth, tell him that if he decides to call me back, that I will not come searching for him. I know he doesn't want to be found. I just want to hear his voice. Lastly, tell him that whatever the man he's become, I know he's good and strong and that no matter what, I will always be _proud _of him. And I'm sorry I couldn't help him more."

I couldn't speak. If I did, I'd start crying. I covered my face with my hand, feeling something wet rolling down my cheeks. Lily placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" My mom asked hesitantly. Lily took the phone from me and replied, "Yes, he just went to tell Caleb. He's going to go… find him for you. Mrs. Laroche? Just so you know, your son does love you. Very much so. And I'm not just telling you that to comfort you. It's the truth."

"Thank you, miss. I should get going, make myself presentable because I don't want my husband to find out what I was doing. Goodbye." Arya hung up. I set the phone down and knelt next to Caleb. I'd never seen Caleb cry, not even when the Hunters had blown up our house.

"Do you want to see her?" she whispered.

I nodded. "But I can't. It would just cause hell. I know my mom would want me to stay and then we'd have to split up the pack and you can trust me when I say that not everyone would be happy about me returning. Hunter in particular. Because that would mean he had a challenger for alpha status and he wouldn't want that. It's best this way. I'll send her flowers though. Ones with-"

"Meaning," the two of us said simultaneously.

"I just need to do some research. I'm going to go downstairs. I'll be back up later." I kissed her on the cheek and left. I needed some time alone.

* * *

**Elsa**

I sat impatiently in my seat, waiting for my name to be called up to go on stage. For such a small town, there was a surprising amount of teenagers in my graduating class. From my family there were only three: me, Josilyn, and Thea. At least it wasn't like Riley and Jake's graduation. They'd been the only ones graduating in their year from our family. If Caleb had still been here, he and Riley would've graduated together. Hunter's class had had the most graduating from our family with five kids including himself.

"Thea Fray, Magna Cum Laude!" the teacher announced. I heard my family cheering for her, particularly Diana, Barry, and Riley. I smiled up at my family. They took up the entire front row of the auditorium.

"Elsa Laroche, Summa Cum Laude!" I walked up onto the stage with a big grin on my face, mainly trying not laugh at Hunter yelling: "That's my little sister! Woo!"

Josilyn was soon to follow. When we returned to our seats, I felt my heart pounding. I was almost done with high school. Josilyn, as our valedictorian, walked up to the mic and said, "Congratulations everyone! We did it!"

We all took our hats off and threw them into the air. Mine landed back down at my feet. I picked it up and put it back on my head. While we were exiting the auditorium, Thea and Josilyn finagled their way over to me. I draped my arms over their shoulders.

"We did it!" Thea cheered.

"No more classes!" Josilyn laughed.

"No more homework!" I added.

"And no more annoying human drama," Thea declared.

We picked up our actual diplomas and headed outside. We'd barely walked a foot out the door when some called my name. I turned around. My mouth dropped open when I saw Spencer standing there in a sharp black suit. I ran up and threw my arms around his neck, unable to believe he was here because if he was here, then it meant someone else had also come with him.

"Josie, Thea, tell mom and dad I'll be there shortly," I said. The two girls didn't argue and left me to talk to Spencer freely. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you graduate, along with two other people," he replied with a grin. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around my waist, lifting me up in a hug.

"My little sister graduated!" Caleb exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you!"

I hugged my big brother and Lily before asking, "When did y'all get here?"

"Yesterday. Caleb didn't know we were coming down until after he talked to you the other day because I knew he wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret from you," Lily remarked.

"How long are you going to be here?"

"As long as possible, meaning until we catch those Hunters and since that's not going so hot right now, it would seem we'll be here for a very long time."

"Good," I said firmly. "I missed all of you way too much."

"We shouldn't keep you much longer lest dad comes searching for you. I know you'll be too tired to come see us tonight so tomorrow, why don't you come over for your second graduation party?" Caleb offered.

"I'd love to," I replied with a smile. My brother and Lily hugged me goodbye, disappearing into the crowd. Spencer walked over to my family with me.

"Spencer, you're back!" Ember said, giving him a hug.

"Hey there, Ember. How are you?" He greeted. Leaning in a whispering, "Did Noah ever get that stick out of his ass?"

Ember answered, "I'm good and no, he didn't. Not around me at least."

"Hello Spencer. Nice to see you again," My mom said, coming up to us. "When did you get back?"

"Hello Mrs. Laroche. Nice to see you too. I got back yesterday. I thought I'd come surprise Elsa."

"I'm sure you did. Did you come alone?"

"No ma'am. My sister and boyfriend came too but as usual, business calls. I'm the youngest in the group so for now I don't have too many responsibilities. For our hotel, I mainly work in the sales and marketing department. They say hi though."

"I'd like to meet them one day. Come to lunch with us. That way you and Elsa can catch up," mom said.

"I'd love to. And I promise I won't leave prematurely this time," Spencer said with a sheepish smile.

Mom placed her hand on shoulder. "No worries. I understand the business calls you get every time of the day. Come! You can ride with us. There's plenty of room in the car."

* * *

Incredibly, my parents were very civil to Spencer this time, meaning no embarrassing questions because my dad barely spoke to him. In fact, dad seemed quiet in general. He listened in on conversations, smiled and laughed when necessary, but I could tell his mind was elsewhere.

Ember was very pleased to have Spencer. My sister thoroughly approved of my 'boyfriend'. Hunter was always pleasant and polite, but now that my parents were more willing to allow Spencer into our group, he'd become more stern around him.

At the end of the lunch, I'd hugged Spencer goodbye. For the rest of the day, my family and I spent the day at our house, celebrating our graduations and having fun.

It was eleven at night. Hunter, Ember, Noah, Josilyn, and I were playing poker. Josilyn was kicking our butts at it although always humble, she continued to say she had no idea what she was doing and that she was winning because of luck.

"I say we play the game BS because that's something I might actually have a chance to win at," Noah commented, grinning at his sister. "Also, we're going to Vegas on your twenty-first birthday."

"You're good at BS-ing a lot of things," Ember muttered under her breath. If he heard her, he didn't say anything, but I gave her a questioning look. I didn't know what was going on with my sister lately. She'd been distracted a lot, always on her phone or on her computer. Whenever I asked her what she was doing, she'd always reply with 'work'. That excuse was getting old now.

Hunter was about to deal the next hand when someone knocked on our door. We all froze, staring at each other. Who the hell would be at our house at eleven at night? It wasn't my dad because although he was at the hotel right now to take care of something urgent, he had a key to get back in. Even if he had forgotten his key, he'd just call one of us and tell us to let him in. So who was it?

The person knocked again, this time shouting, "Help! Someone help!"

I scrambled up to get the door but Hunter yanked me back, putting himself in front of us and any danger that might be coming from the person at the door. Upon opening it, I felt my mouth fall open from the shock of not only seeing my dad bloodied and beaten, but also from the fact that Spencer was the one supporting him.

* * *

**Hope Ren's okay! Reviews would be lovely people :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Okay, the hell storm is about to begin.**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**All secrets lead back to the big secret. To give one thing away means to give everything away."**

* * *

Chapter 20

**Spencer**

I sat in the Ferrari, changing the channels on the radio trying to find something good to listen to when I saw Mr. Laroche exiting the his hotel. He got into his car that I'd managed to park three cars away from. That was purely coincidental. I'd only come to the Stanley hotel to meet up with Lily and Caleb to get something to eat at their bar. My alphas had left on Caleb's motorcycle just a few minutes ago.

Mr. Laroche pulled out of his parking spot. A few seconds later, a black pickup truck followed him. Getting a bad feeling, and letting my better judgement leave me, I decided to trail the black pick up. I left my headlights off to avoid anyone seeing me. Unless someone had Guardian eyesight like I did, they wouldn't be able to see my black Ferrari. It was also a good thing that I did have Guardian eyesight or else I wouldn't have been able to see jack crap in front of me. Ren only drove for about ten minutes, pulling up to a long, winding driveway but not actually driving up it. Instead he parked on the driveway. I pulled off onto the side of the road. The truck drove past Ren. I waited until Ren had shifted into wolf form and was trotting up the driveway before I got out and went after him. Caleb would've told me to ignore it because we both knew that if I was caught trailing any of them, I'd be killed.

I hid in the trees, keeping the Laroche male well a ways in front of me. I twisted my head when I heard rustling a few feet to the left of me. A tall guy in dark jeans and a black shirt was watching Mr. Laroche carefully. He had a gun in one hand, another one in his back pocket. I let the guy get ahead of me before heading after them. I was a big wolf, the same size as Caleb who'd gotten much bigger in the past few years. In fact he was as big as Ren who was the largest wolf I'd ever seen. But my point is that if the guy decided to attack Ren, I could easily take him down, even if he was six feet tall.

Ren rounded a bend and when I did the same, I raised my eyebrows at the impressive sight before me. Five, large houses had been newly built. In fact, it looked very similar to the Laroche compound, if not an exact match. Ren shifted into human form and pulled out his phone. He hesitated before pulling out a piece of paper. It must've been a number because he dialed it into his phone and put it up to his ear. I was too far away to hear whoever was on the other end, but they must not have picked up because he let out a great sigh before hanging up. I glanced over at the other guy trailed Mr. Laroche. He was standing still, almost as if he was doing the same thing I was: making sure no harm came to the Laroche alpha. A twig snapping made all of us look in the same direction. Before I could react, a shot rang out. Ren let out a strangled yell. He started crawling over to the fountain for shelter but not before he was shot twice more. Shifting back into a human form, I ran over to him. He still couldn't know I was a Guardian. An arrow landed at my feet, a light blinking faster and faster. I skidded next to Ren and threw my body over his as the arrow exploded, sending dirt flying everywhere.

"What the-" Ren began. More gun shots could be heard but I realized that some of them were coming from the mystery guy following Ren. He yelled at me, "Get him out of here! I'll hold them off.

I didn't need to hear it twice. Throwing Ren's arm over my shoulder, I dragged him into the forest which thankfully was close to us. Bullets hit the tree next to my head, making me pick up my pace. Ren tried to help as much as he could but he was weakening faster and faster. I heard shouts coming from behind us and rustling. The only sentence I understood was: "Kill them!"

Hunters.

When I reached my car, I quickly put Mr. Laroche in there and tore away from the house. I was hoping that the guy who'd been shooting at the Hunters was okay but I wasn't going back to check.

"I can't… go to the h-hospital," Ren said. "Home. Take me… home."

I nodded. I slid onto the Laroche's driveway a few minutes later. I helped Mr. Laroche out of the car and kicked their door with my foot. I was met with silence, but I could hear the heartbeats of people inside. I kicked the door and yelled, "Help! Somebody help!"

Footsteps approached the door, swinging it open. Hunter Laroche stood there with Ember, Elsa, Noah, and Josilyn behind him.

"Dad!" Elsa exclaimed.

"Ren?!" Arya gasped. "Hunter, help Spencer with your dad and bring him into the living room. Noah, go grab your father. Ember, go grab Loren. Elsa, Josilyn, help me get the first aid kit from the living room."

Everyone disappeared while Hunter and I brought his dad into the living room. Hunter briefly left me to support Ren on his own while he placed blankets on the couch before we placed the Laroche alpha on it. Ren was barely conscious. I don't think he even knew where he was.

"Move!" Mrs. Laroche barked. Hunter and I scrambled back. Someone then proceeded to shove me out of the from behind. Shiloh and Loren were instantly next to Arya.

"What the hell happened?" Shiloh demanded. On that note, Hunter whirled around to me, picking me up by my shirt and slamming me against the wall. Involuntarily, I snarled at him.

"Who the hell are you and what the hell were you doing near my father?" Hunter growled.

"Hunter get off of him!" Elsa said, starting towards him. Loren firmly grabbed her arms, preventing her from going anywhere.

"I was at your hotel. My family and I were eating there. I was sitting in my car, changing the radio channels before I left when I saw your dad get in his car. I thought nothing of it until I saw someone following him. I followed them up to this big compound place. It looked just like this. He tried calling someone but I guess they didn't answer. When he hung up, someone, or someones, shot at him. Whoever had been following him started shooting back at the people. I was already on my way to get your dad out of there when the guy yelled at me to get him back to safety. Like I needed to be told twice. Whoever was following your dad wasn't there to kill him. If anything he was there to protect him. I brought him here because he told me to."

"Hunter, release him. Elsa, escort him out of here. Thank you for saving my husband," Mrs. Laroche said. The future alpha reluctantly listened to his mother. He snarled at me, showing his very sharp canines. My nostrils flared in anger. I wasn't someone he could push around. I wasn't in his pack. My pack was Caleb and Lily.

"Spencer, come on," Elsa said, grabbing my hand and dragging me away from the scene. When we were outside, she asked, "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"I don't think so," I said.

"Then why do you have a hole in your shirt?" She pointed out. "Let me see it, make sure it's nothing serious."

I lifted my shirt to reveal a bleeding gash on my hip. I said, "Huh. I guess a bullet must've grazed me."

"Spencer, those bullets were laced with wolfsbane. I could smell it on my dad when you brought him in. If any of that got in your system, you could be in serious trouble."

"I'll get home and have Caleb and Lily take care of me. I'll be fine."

"No, let me drive you there. If you pass out while driving, you'll be in a worse state than you're in now," she argued.

"Is he hurt?" my mom questioned from behind us. We turned to face her. She must've given my dad a lot of blood because she looked ready to pass out herself, not to mention she'd lost most of the color in her face. Shiloh flanked her, also pale. It scared me how much blood my father was needing.

"Nothing fatal, Mrs. Laroche. Will your husband be okay?" Spencer responded politely.

"Ren will be fine. He just needs to heal," she said.

Shiloh was staring at him before, "I don't like you. You're acting way too calmly about all this. Like, why you're not questioning why Ren told you to bring him here instead of a hospital? Or how you've just been shot at and you're so calm about this?"

I hesitated. I couldn't lie to them. They'd know it immediately and that meant I'd be digging myself into a deeper hole than I was already in. It was Elsa who covered for me. "He knows what we are. His family was into the supernatural. They told stories through their generations about the people who could turn into wolves. They knew the signs to determine who was a Guardian and who wasn't."

"Although I'm the first in my family to see you in person," I added. "A lot of them just thought they were stories."

"You knew this entire time and you weren't scared we'd rip out your throat?" Shiloh remarked.

"I knew this entire time, and I was scared you'd rip out my throat. I still am. I know what you're all capable of."

"Then you know we can heal others with our blood?" Arya said.

I nodded. "That's why you're so pale. Both of you. You were giving Ren blood."

"Yes. If it does not wig you out to much, Elsa can give you some blood to speed up the healing process of your wound. Especially if you were hit with a wolfsbane bullet. Those things are nasty. Stay the night, let your family know where you'll be. You can stay in our guest room. I want to make sure you'll be okay. You saved my husband's life. Despite our rules of letting humans into the compound, you are an exception. You can borrow some of Hunter's clothes. You two are about the same size." Arya left the two of us alone. Shiloh glared at me as he walked away.

"Thank you for covering for me," I whispered.

"I've got your back. And my brother's. Come on, let's get you cleaned up." I followed Elsa back into the house and up the stairs. She instructed me into the guest bathroom, disappearing a room that I guessed was Hunter's. Sure enough, she came back with a pair of sweatpants and a shirt.

"Here, why don't you take a shower and I'll wash your clothes for you, get the blood stain out of your shirt, and the dirt out of everything else," Elsa offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Just place the clothes outside the door before you shower. I can do a speed wash, but you might have to wait a bit for them to be dry. There's a robe in the closet you can wear until I can get your clothes back to you. The towels are in there too."

"Thank you Elsa," I said. "I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome." She kissed me on the cheek and started to leave.

"What was that for?"

"For saving my dad. If it weren't for you, my dad would most likely be dead." With that, she left the room. I took off my clothes and placed them outside the bathroom door. It felt good to shower even if the hot water did sting my cut. I stepped out of the shower and threw on the robe. I wasn't really a robe kind of guy, but this thing was really damn soft and comfy. I collapsed onto the bed, closing my eyes. About ten minutes passed before a knock made me get up to open the door. Elsa had my clothes, dried and folded. I gratefully took them from her.

"When you're dressed, come downstairs. I'll take care of your wound," she said. "Meet me in the kitchen. It's to the left of the living room. You can't miss it."

She left. I began changing into my robe when the first wave of dizziness hit me. I braced myself against the bed to gain my bearings again. Shaking it off, I went back downstairs. More people had come into the Laroche household. In fact it seemed like all the adults had.

"What is he doing here?" One of them asked gruffly. It was one of the twins. He was glowering at me.

"Isn't that Elsa's boyfriend?" the other twin asked.

"We're not dating, Sam," Elsa said. "And Dean, Spencer knows about our kind. Like actually knows what we are. Leave him alone. He's the one that saved dad. He got shot in the process himself."

"You don't look good kid," a woman said. She spoke softly, making me think she was the omega of the pack. Loren wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Melinda, most people who get shot don't feel good afterwards," Loren joked although I heard the tiredness in his voice. Ah, so they were married.

"No, I mean he looks pale and he's sweating," she said.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Hess. I'm just hot," I told her.

"Spencer, come sit down," Elsa ordered, pulling me towards the table. I didn't sit but lifted my shirt so she could have full access to my cut. "You're lucky it just grazed you. Josilyn, can you hand me the antibiotic cream?"

The girl hurried over to her friend with the requested item in hand. She smiled shyly at me. I returned it. Josilyn queried, "Would you like anything to drink?"

"Get him some water. He doesn't look good," Elsa commented. She finished putting the bandage on hip and told me to sit down. I did so obediently, another wave of dizziness hitting me. I started worrying that maybe I _had _been hit with a wolfsbane bullet. But if I had, the effects would've been much more immediate. Josilyn handed me a glass of water which I gratefully took, gulping it down.

"Would someone go grab the kids? We need to have a meeting," Arya informed.

"Now?" A woman with raven locks groaned. "Arya, it's one in the morning."

"Reyna, this was the work of the Hunters. We're having a meeting now."

"I'll go get them," another woman offered.

"Thank you Casey."

"How are you feeling? You don't look well," Elsa said, bending down in front of me.

"I'm fine. I think I'm just coming off an adrenaline high," I replied.

"I want Spencer here for this too. He knows too much about what's going on. They'll go after him for information," Arya said. Oh if she only knew…

Elsa and I walked over to the group, standing away from the fire. Hunter was standing next to his mom. He stared at me with evident dislike. We waited for a few minutes before all the kids filed into the living room, which even though there was over thirty people in the room, we all still fit in comfortably.

Arya stood up, clearing her throat. "The Hunters are back in Estes. They attacked Ren and if it weren't for Spencer here, he'd be dead. From now on, he is allowed to be on compound grounds. He knows about us and our kind. This attack though, this was a direct attack. Therefore I'm implementing some rules. Any bending of the rules will not be tolerated and the harsh punishment will follow those who disobey. I know Ren and I ordered everyone to travel in pairs wherever any of you went but we were lenient with that rule, especially when the Hunters made no more appearances for a few months. But after tonight, that is changing. You take a foot out that door, you take someone with you. You are forbidden to go anywhere without taking a partner with you. If you are under eighteen, you take two people with you. Second, if you come across a Hunter, do _not_ kill them. I don't care if you maim them, but I want them brought back here for questioning. I'm going to contact the Searchers to get some guard detail out here. If worse comes to worst, we will be moving into the Academy with the Searchers until it's safe for us to come home. Am I understood?"

Everyone murmured a yes. Arya dismissed everyone. Hunter, Shiloh, and Loren stayed with Arya. Ember said goodnight to her family, said if they needed anything to come get her. She swiftly went up to her room. Elsa kissed her dad on the head, hugged her mom and brother goodnight, offered the same help Ember did, and then took me upstairs. We were almost to my room when I stopped short. My vision went blurry. I vaguely heard Elsa saying my name.

"Elsa, what's happening?" Ember inquired. I saw a shadow kneel down on the other side of me.

"I don't know. He just collapsed. Help me get him into his room," Elsa ordered. I felt arms picking me up. I think I blacked out for a few seconds because when I was able to figure out where I was, I recognized the room I was staying in. "Spencer, can you hear me?"

I nodded but the action sent pain racketing through my body. I groaned.

"Damn it, it _was_ a wolfsbane bullet they hit him with," Elsa muttered.

"But it's working so slow," Ember noted. "It's not a regular wolfsbane bullet."

"No. The Hunters are changing up their weapons. I'm going to go get some water for him. Start giving him blood. I'll be back."

* * *

**Elsa**

I went into my room, frantically calling Caleb. He picked up on the first ring. "What's wrong?"

"Dad got shot by Hunters. Spencer saved him but a wolfsbane bullet grazed him."

"Do they know-"

"No, but they know he knows about our kind. I told a small lie saying his family passed stories about us through their generations. This bullet though, it's not like most wolfsbane ones. It was slow acting. He was shot over an hour and a half ago and it's just now affecting him."

"Lily and I will come over. He's in the guest bedroom right?"

"Yeah, but how are you going to come over here without them noticing you?"

"The guest room is on the second floor and it has a balcony. I can climb my way up there. Trust me. I'm on my way. I'll text you when I'm there. Just tell me when the coast is clear for me to come up."

"Okay. See you soon."

"Love you."

"Love you too." I hung up and dashed downstairs, grabbing a glass of water. I quickly explained to mom what was happening. She told me that if I needed any more blood to give to Spencer, to come downstairs. I nodded before going back up. Ember was still giving Spencer blood.

"Em, go to bed. I can take it from here," I said gently.

"Are you sure?" she mumbled.

"Yes, you're tired and weak. Go on."

My sister listened to me, leaving the room and shutting the door. I texted Caleb saying the coast was clear, unlocking the door to the balcony so he could enter when he needed. I sat next to Spencer and told him needed more blood. I made an incision on my wrist and put it my mouth. He was barely conscious but he understood what I was doing. His hand found my wrist and grasped it. How much time had passed, I didn't know but I felt the light-headedness setting in. I braced my forehead against the palm of my hand, forcing myself to stay awake.

"Elsa, stop," Spencer murmured. "I'm okay."

"I don't want to risk it. I'm fine."

"No," he protested weakly. We argued back and forth until I heard the balcony door open. I turned around, instantly becoming dizzy.

"Oh my gods," Lily breathed, hurrying over to Spencer. Caleb came over to me as I stood up. He placed a steadying hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Caleb asked.

I nodded. "Fine. Just dizzy. I gave Spencer blood to help him counteract the wolfsbane."

"She gave me too much," Spencer said weakly from the bed. Caleb and I sat next to him, opposite Lily. "Her and Ember took very good care of me. Very… very… good care."

"And yet you still look deathly pale," Lily chastised. "What happened again?"

"He said he followed dad because he saw someone else following him. I don't know why but dad went to the south compound. At least that's what I'm guessing from the description he gave us. He tried calling someone, apparently they didn't pick up, and a few moments later someone shot him. The guy trailing dad started firing at the people shooting at dad while Spencer got dad out of there. He brought him here. Dad told him to.

"Why would he go to the south compound?" Caleb inquired.

"What's the south compound?" Lily chimed in.

"The pack we have now… it's what is left our original pack. The Hunters, when I was one, Caleb was four, they planted bombs at our south compound. Our pack used to be double the size it was now. Their heads had been cut off and placed on spikes before the bombs went off," I explained. "My parents killed a lot of Hunters after that. The Searcher's helped them."

"You… you never told me that, Caleb," Spencer mumbled. "No wonder you're so over…protective."

"I never found the right time to bring it up in conversation. It's not a light topic," Caleb replied. "Get some sleep Spencer. The rest will do you good."

"I'm fine. I'm just-"

"Elsa? Are you in there?" The four of us froze at the sound of my mother's voice.

"Uh, hang on mom! I'm in the bathroom!" I lied. I shooed Caleb and Lily onto the balcony, shutting the curtains and flushing the toilet. I washed my hands and ran to open the door. "Hi mom."

"How is Spencer doing?"

"I think Ember and I gave him enough blood to counteract the wolfsbane. I don't think he got hit by much, just enough to weaken him."

"Would you like me to watch him sweetie? You look tired," my mom offered.

"She gave me too much blood, that's why!" Spencer called out faintly. "She's very stubborn!"

Mom smiled. I hastily said, "He's a little loopy. I think it's because he's tired. He just refuses to sleep."

"Get some sleep yourself. I'll come check on the two of you later. I love you." Mom gave me a hug. I shut the door, making sure she was at the bottom of the stairs before I let Lily and Caleb back in.

"We'll give Spencer some more blood, just to make sure. Then we'll leave. Call us if you need anything," Caleb said. I nodded, crawling onto the other side of the bed. It took all my strength to keep my eyes open until they left so I could lock the door to the balcony. Once they were gone, I collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

* * *

**Longer chapter than I expected but oh well! Reviews would be lovely :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**I can't wait to get this started since it's picking up the pace now!**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Ansel, I'm not the sun, stop orbiting and get in here."**

* * *

Chapter 21

**Spencer**

I woke up to the smell of bacon. My stomach grumbled obnoxiously.

I recognized Ember's voice as she said, "See? I told you he wasn't dead. Now Elsa on the other hand, I'm not quite sure."

At that my eyes shot open. Ember and Josilyn jumped back as I scrambled into sitting position. Elsa was sacked out on the pillow next to me.

"Easy tiger, she's fine. She already told me to shut up after I tried to wake her. You, however, weren't waking up to shaking, poking, yelling, and other tactics. So we tried the fail proof method in our family: bacon. See?" Ember held up a plate of bacon. "There's more downstairs. There's also eggs, pancakes, toast, French toast, and beans. Come down when y'all are ready. I'd give you some of this bacon but it's mine."

I smiled at the Laroche girl, amused by her rambling.

"Oh my god, I thought she'd never leave," Elsa mumbled when her sister shut the door. She rolled over to look at me. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Much better. Did Caleb and Lily come over last night?"

"Yeah. You were kind of loopy. But you certainly look better. The color's returned to your face. Let's head downstairs." I slowly got out of bed. My body still hurt from being shot from the wolfsbane bullet.

"Do you need-" Elsa began but I cut her off.

"No, no more blood. I'm okay. I promise I'll be okay," I interrupted with amusement. "You nearly made yourself pass out last night. I don't remember much but I _do_ remember that. Besides, if anyone is going to need more blood, it's going to be your dad. He got shot with three of those suckers."

"My dad! Let's go see how he's doing!" Elsa darted out my room. I followed her as fast as I could. To my surprise, she waited for me at the top of the stairs. With a smile, she said, "I want to make sure you don't fall down."

We went down the stairs slowly. I couldn't go more than one stair at a time without my wound sending waves of pain throughout my body. Finally we reached the stairs. Arya sat on the couch with Ren's head on her shoulder. Shiloh had crashed in the armchair. Loren was passed out on the loveseat. When we entered the living room, Arya lifted her head up. It was evident she hadn't slept at all last night.

"Hi mom," Elsa greeted. "How's dad?"

"Hi sweetie," Ren whispered. She ran up to him. "How are you?"

"I'm good. You?"

"Trying to get your mother to get some sleep. She's being stubborn."

I couldn't help myself as I blurted out, "Seems to run in the family."

Elsa twisted around, giving me a smirk. Her dad's head lifted to look at me. His eyes narrowed. I gulped, uncomfortable with the look he was giving me. But he surprised me by saying, "I do thank you for saving my life. Arya, Elsa, go get some breakfast. I want to talk to Mr. Barnes alone for a moment," Ren commanded. Mrs. Laroche put up not fight. I think that was because she was so exhausted. Elsa hesitated before going after her mom, but she briefly turned around. I saw the worry in her eyes. When they were out of earshot, Ren leaned his back but kept his eyes on me. "So. You know about us?"

"Yes, sir," I answered respectfully.

"Were you telling the truth about why you followed me or are you a Hunter trying to infiltrate our pack?"

"I was telling the truth sir. I am not a Hunter. If I was, why would I save you?"

"Because you're in love with my daughter and if you save me, you get in her good graces."

"I was in her good graces before I saved your life, sir. I did it because I wasn't going to let an innocent man die."

Ren stayed silent for a few moments before saying anything. "You make my daughter happy. That is why I tolerate you being here. But I want you to know that I do not approve of any relationship between you two other than friendship. You are not one of us. We cannot make you one of us, therefore you will never be one of us. Know your boundaries and we shall not have a problem. If you cross that boundary, or you hurt her, I will rip your throat out. Do you understand? I've lost too many kids. I will not lose another because of some guy who came into our lives acting like he was one of us simply because he knew what we are."

"Understood, sir," I said, trying to keep my voice steady because honestly, he was scaring the shit out of me.

All of a sudden, Ren let out a chuckle. "Don't worry, you're not the only one who's going to be getting the 'hurt-my-daughter-I'll-kill-you' speech. Once Noah and Ember actually get together, he'll be getting the same lecture, albeit some differences. You have any idea what's going on between them?"

"All Ember told me was that Noah has had a stick up his ass since December around her," I admitted truthfully.

Ren let out a genuine laugh. "Young love. It's a bitch."

"Sound you're speaking from experience."

"Oh believe me, I am. Go. Go get some breakfast."

I nodded, entering the kitchen hastily. Elsa was putting a heap of bacon on her plate. She smiled when she saw me. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine."

"Good. Here's your plate. Help yourself."

I did as I was told. I got one of everything. I was starving. I sat down next to her at the table with Arya, Ember, and Josilyn. Noticing Hunter's absence, I inquired about where he went.

"He went on patrol with Noah, Dmitri, Riley, and Thea. They're our strongest wolves besides me and Elsa. Well, of the kids at least. But he didn't ask us to go because we gave blood to you last night. Also Elsa wouldn't wake up. Apparently you punched him," Ember remarked.

Elsa choked on her food. "I did what?!"

"He thinks you were barely conscious when you did it. Don't worry, he's not mad at you. You barely left a mark on him anyway. You know he has a steel jaw."

"Where are they patrolling?"

"East side. Only a one mile radius. Loren, Shiloh, Dean, and Sam are going to go patrol the south side later, once they get some sleep. And once they wake up," Arya said, peering over Ember's head at the sleeping second's. Turning her attention to me, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better. I still hurt but nothing I can't handle. Thank you for letting me stay last night Mrs. Laroche. I really appreciate it," I said sincerely.

"I wasn't going to send an injured man home. Do you need someone to drive you home?"

"No ma'am. I can drive myself. Thank you though."

She smiled at me. "You're welcome. If you four don't mind, I'm going to go get some sleep. I can't keep my eyes open any longer. I'm taking Ren upstairs so he can shower and get clean. I love him dearly but he's not getting my clean sheets all dirty."

I grinned as Ren shouted, "I heard that!"

"Good!" She hollered back. Mrs. Laroche left the table. Josilyn excused herself, saying she was going to go tend her garden. Mr. and Mrs. Laroche disappeared up the stairs.

"So, after my dad's threatening to rip your throat out if you date Elsa, are you two still going to hide your relationship?" Ember inquired, taking a bite of her pancake.

"Dad did what?" Elsa demanded.

"He threatened Spencer. So?"

I needed to change the subject. It was too difficult to talk about dating Elsa when we weren't actually dating at all. "Did you hear the part about Noah?"

"What about Noah?" Ember asked.

"Yeah, what about me?" Noah piped up from behind Ember. She didn't bother to turn around, simply ignoring him.

"I know we're not friends and you probably already know this but since I feel I need to tell you this anyways, your dad said you were going to get a very similar talk to mine when you end up dating Ember," I said.

"My dad must still be affected by those wolfsbane bullets because Noah and I won't be dating. He'd have to talk to me first to do that and he hasn't done that in six months. I doubt that's going to change now," Ember commented, getting up to go wash her plate. Noah shuffled on his feet.

"What exactly did he tell you?" The McKay boy asked.

"Oh, just that if I hurt her, he'd rip my throat out. At least you're a Guardian though. You're allowed to be with her."

"He said you're not allowed to be with Elsa?" Hunter asked.

"Bingo. Said I wasn't one of you, which is true, and also said he couldn't make me like you, which is also true." I shrugged. "It's okay. Elsa and I both know this is only going to last until I go back to Canada. We've known that this whole time."

"My dad won't be the only one hurting you if you hurt her. Remember that."

"Okay, enough of the testosterone games. Hunter, Noah, there's food on the counter. Help yourselves," Elsa said. Hunter winked at her before getting food. Ember walked over to the table and said, "Elsa, I'm heading into town later. Do you want to come? Bring Spencer? I'm craving something from Kind Coffee."

"Take Noah with you," Hunter said.

"I didn't ask him," Ember pointed out.

"I know. I'm inviting him for you."

"I don't want him going."

"I don't want to go," Noah added.

"Ah, so you two _can _agree on something? Ember, he goes or you don't go," Hunter declared. "Take it or leave it."

"Fine. Take it. Noon sharp."

"Spencer's heading home and I'm still sleepy so I don't know," Elsa said.

"Don't you dare leave me alone with him," Ember groaned.

"Sorry sis, but I think I'm going to have to pass."

"I hate you."

"Love you too."

* * *

**Ember**

I heard Noah following behind me but I knew that was only because the way I was going was also the way to the front door.

"Is there a particular reason you don't want me going or do you just hate me that much?" Noah inquired, following me up the steps.

"I'm not telling you that. You haven't talked to me in months for some God only knows reason," I snapped, opening my bedroom door.

"You meeting another guy? Was I not enough?"

"You are so full of yourself," I said, whirling around.

To my surprise, Noah looked ashamed. "Who is he?"

"Who is who?"

"This guy you're going to see."

"You'll have to tell me which one you're referring to as you believe I'm screwing multiple guys," I snarled.

"Ember, come on," Noah said softly.

"No, you come on. You're accusing me of something I'm not doing so please, tell me which one of these apparently many guys I'm screwing that you're referring to!"

"That one from the dance! I know you're still talking to him!"

"Dom?"

"That's his name?"

"Yes. What? Are you jealous or something?"

"Yes," Noah confessed. "Look, I've liked you for a long time but you only seemed to be interested in a friends with benefits relationship so I went along with it. I always thought that maybe we'd end up together but then you snuck off with him and I realized all I'd ever be was someone to screw to you. I wanted a relationship with you. You didn't reciprocate the feelings…"

I stared at him. "Did it ever occur to you that if you had _asked me out on a real date_, I might've said yes? Did it ever occur to you that I was telling the truth saying that Dom and I are only talking? Did it ever occur to you that maybe the reason I started distancing myself from you was because I was getting attached and that I thought you didn't want a relationship because you showed no sign of ever wanting a steady relationship?"

Noah looked up at my ceiling, thinking, before replying, "No, yes, and no."

"You idiot. So the entire reason you've had a stick up your ass these past six months is because you were jealous of a guy I'm not screwing but you thought I was? Because you didn't believe me?"

"Yes… I love you Ember. I have for a long time. I just never knew how to tell you."

"You just told me. Was it really that difficult?"

"Honestly? Yes. But I know that if I didn't tell you now, you'd probably never give me a chance to ever say it again. Ember Laroche, would you like to go on a real date with me?" Noah asked, getting down on one knee.

Despite my anger, I laughed. "Only because the feelings _are_ reciprocated, yes. I will. And about Dom, the reason we're talking is because… well, he told me something that is really hard for me to believe but he has proof that it's true and I really want it to be true."

Noah stood up, cupping my face. "What's wrong? What is he telling you?"

I pulled out my phone, showing him the picture Dom had sent me. He squinted his eyes at it in confusion before asking, "When did Elsa go to Mexico?"

"She didn't," I said.

Noah looked up at me. "I don't get it."

"That's not Elsa," I told him.

"Then who is it?"

I bit my lip. "It's Anna."

* * *

**Uh oh, now Noah's in on the Anna secret. What do you think is going to happen? Let me know in a review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**What are you even doing here? Aren't you just a paper pusher?"**

* * *

Chapter 22

**Hunter**

It'd been two weeks since the Hunters had attacked. We'd found no trace of them on any of our patrols. We'd caught the scent of the two wolves from the new wolf pack but lost it once they got on the road. Spencer came over almost every day to hang out with Elsa. Ember, Elsa, and the girls in general enjoyed his company. Even the boys were warming up to him. Riley had a lot of fun teasing Spencer. Dmitri liked to wrestle with him. For a human, Spencer could hold his own, beating Dmitri more times than Dmitri would care to admit. However, the rest of us were wary of him. It just seemed too suspicious how cool he was with all of this. Sometimes I wondered if he might be a Guardian with the way he acted, the way he carried himself, not to mention the snarl he gave me when I'd shoved him into the wall the night he brought my dad back to the house. I didn't approve of his relationship with my sister. Not one bit. On more than one occasion I'd thought about telling mom and dad about them, but Elsa would never forgive me. I couldn't do that to her. Instead, I sat and watched them with a careful eye.

"Hey you," Josilyn greeted, wrapping her arms around me from behind. She stood up on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek.

"Hello gorgeous," I replied. "What are you doing over here?"

"I came to see you. With all the patrols we've been sent on lately, I felt I haven't seen you much."

"You are welcome to me any time you want. Maybe I can talk to mom and dad, see if I can get you on my patrol," I said, twisting around and pulling her into my arms.

"You know you have the largest area to patrol. My heart wouldn't be able to handle it."

"How is your heart?"

"As best as it can be. My medication dosage has stayed the same so that's always good news."

"Good." I kissed her on the head.

"Hello you two," My mom greeted. She held a vase of flowers in her hand.

"Oh those are gorgeous! Interesting combination too: striped carnations and daisies." Josilyn exclaimed. "Did you get them from my garden?"

"No, someone sent them. There was no note or anything," my mom replied. It wasn't the first time she'd received flowers out of the blue. Elsa and Ember had received them too, always on their birthdays and at Christmas. Mom received them on her birthday, Mother's Day, and Christmas. No one really knew where they came from, but we all had an unspoken answer: Caleb.

"Are you sure they're not poisoned or anything?" I asked, walking over to her. I sniffed the flowers for any trace of poison, mainly wolfsbane, but all that happened was that the flowers made me sneeze.

"Hunter, really?" My mom raised her eyebrows at me as she placed the flowers on the table.

"Hey, we're under a major threat here. For all I know the Hunters know about your flower passion and are trying a new method to kill you."

"I appreciate your concern but they're not poisoned. I promise you. Now go get ready. You have patrol duty in a few minutes. Elsa is going with you. So is Spencer."

"Why the hell is he going with us?" I demanded. "He's human. He won't be able to keep up!"

"Because you're investigating the south compound and since he was there the night Ren was attacked, maybe he can help you find things that will help us find out where the Hunters are."

I bit back an angry retort. Spencer had no business being here. He had no business being with our pack. I wasn't able to pinpoint what it was what I didn't like about him, but it was there. There was a reason I should be wary of him. I just needed to find out why.

I went up to my room. Josilyn scurried after me, taking a hold of my hand. Her touch did calm my anger somewhat but not enough to prevent her from asking, "What's wrong?"

"I don't trust Spencer. I was nice to him in the beginning because I didn't think it'd last between him and Elsa but now they seem closer than ever. I don't know what it is, but I don't trust him," I said, grabbing my cellphone and shoving it into my pocket.

"I mean it's kind of strange how cool he is with everything about us, but maybe he's just really open minded!" Josilyn suggested.

"Maybe, but I'm still keeping an eye on him."

"Oh Hunter, you're too suspicious."

"And you're too trusting," I told her with a smile.

"Hey, dad told us we're going on patrol?" Elsa piped up from the doorway. I faced her. Spencer stood behind her.

"Yeah. We leave in a few minutes. Spencer, will you be able to keep up with us?"

"I will."

"We go at a fast pace," I warned.

"I'm fit," he replied.

"You fall behind, I'll kill you myself." I walked past the two of them making sure I bumped shoulders with him on the way. I heard Josilyn, Elsa, and Spencer following me. My girlfriend gave me a kiss and told me to be careful. She gave her brother a hug, telling him the same thing. Our group was Noah, Ember, Thea, Riley, me, Gracie, Elsa, and Spencer.

"Okay, we're going to the south compound. Mom and dad want us to find anything that belongs to the Hunters and anything that belonged to our mystery guy who helped dad out. Noah, Ember, you take the east side. Elsa, Gracie, take the north side. Gracie, Riley, take the west side. Spencer, you're with me. We're taking the south side. We'll drive down to the town and run the rest of the way."

We got in our cars. I led them down to the hotel. It was packed with guests, but then again, it always was during the summer. We walked into the downtown area and crossed over the river. Thankfully the water level was low so we could just walk across some rocks without getting wet. Once out of sight of the tourists, we shifted into wolf form and headed to the south compound. I broke out into a run. I wanted to see Spencer struggle. Although, much to my chagrin, he had no problem keeping up with us. The guy had barely broken a sweat when we reached the south compound. I saw Elsa looking up at him with an undeniable smirk on her face, even in wolf form. He was giving her one in a return. I changed back into human form.

"Okay, break up into your groups. Howl if you find anything," I ordered. My pack did as they were ordered to. Spencer followed behind me. His eyes darted everywhere, taking in his surroundings. For being a human, the guy sure was hyperaware of everything around him.

"So why did your parents build this back up again? Were they planning on separating the pack or something?"

"No," I replied shortly.

"Not even when Caleb was here? Elsa told me you two were vying for alpha position."

"Remind me to tell my sister not to tell you everything. There are some things that don't need to be talked about. But for your information, he left our family. It devastated Elsa and nearly destroyed my mom and dad's marriage. I know he's the one sending my mom those flowers but he can just stay the hell away from us. If he comes back, all he'll do is cause pain. I might've ran him off by the things I said, and I regret what I said, but I'm not upset he hasn't come back. Our family life has been much more peaceful since. End of discussion."

Spencer nodded, seeming lost in thought. We trudged through the forest, scanning the ground for anything that might help us in our search for the Hunters. The most we found was a couple of bullets that hadn't hit their target. After covering over half a mile radius, I told Spencer that we should head back and look at the front of the compound. He listened. As we reached the fountain in the center of the driveway, I heard Gracie howl. Spencer and I rushed over there. The others were soon to follow.

"It's a ring," Riley said, holding it up for us to see. I took it, turning it over in my hand. An inscription on the inside caught my attention.

"_Unius Speciei_," I said.

"One Kind, or One Species," Gracie translated. When we all stared at her, she added, "I got bored a few years ago and taught myself some Latin."

"What type of boredom did you endure that pushed you to learn Latin?" Riley asked.

"I'd just graduated."

"Right. Well, this is definitely a Hunter's ring. I can smell the wolfsbane on it. But since when did they start calling themselves _Unius Speciei_?" I inquired.

"I guess they needed a cleverer group name other than 'The Hunters'. We should bring it to mom and dad. Maybe the Searchers can help us figure out who it belongs to," Elsa said. I nodded. We left the southern compound and went back to our cars. Spencer didn't say a thing the entire way so admittedly, it was a rather awkward drive back home. I ignored that though. There were more important matters on hand.

When we entered the house, my mom and dad were talking at the dining room table, looking at a map. They looked up at us when we came in. I tossed the ring to my dad who caught it. His questioning gaze made me say, "This is all we found other than a few bullets. It has an inscription on the inside: _Unius Speciei_. It means One Kind or One Species according to Gracie."

"A Hunters ring," my mom said.

"It was definitely them that night, although my wounds told us that anyway," Ren added.

"Ren! Arya!" Loren came crashing into house. "You've gotta come see this!"

We all went running out of the house. I had no idea where Loren was leading us. My question was answered when we had run only a mile away from our house. We were at our family cemetery. The rest of the pack was there too, standing around the graves. I couldn't really pin anything out of the ordinary, not even the fact that each grave had a single pink rose on it.

"Josilyn? Elsa? Did one of you come out here and put these here?" Shiloh asked, nodding to the roses. Both girls shook their heads.

"If I had, I would've told someone where I was going," Elsa said.

"And I'm not missing any flowers from my garden so whoever it was must've ordered them," Josilyn noted.

"Do they have any special meaning? Do you think it's the same person who sent mom those carnations and daisies?" Ember remarked.

"These flowers mean 'I Miss You'," Arya explained. "My flowers had meaning too, but I wonder if it's just a coincidence."

"It's plausible that whoever sent mom the flowers put these ones here but if it's who we all think it is, and he is part of that new wolf pack, don't you think we'd recognize his scent?" I pointed out.

"But it is the new wolf pack, or at least one of them. Their scent is over every grave," Carrie said.

"Maybe they came across it and got sentimental. Guardians mourn other Guardians, especially the wolves since we're such pack animals," Laurel said.

"Why would they come out here alone though? If they are a Guardian, they know the Hunters are out there and how dangerous it is to be alone," Gracie chimed in.

"Adults, I want a meeting when we get back," Ren said. We left the graves. Elsa hung back, staring at Anna's grave. Spencer stopped short when he realized she wasn't beside him. He hesitated before walking over to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders and kissing her on the head. My sister leaned into him.

"Hunter, leave her be. He's not going to hurt her," Josilyn whispered.

"How do you know that? We don't know anything about him except that he's rich and owns a hotel," I grumbled.

"Haven't you realized how happy Elsa seems to have been lately? She's been like that ever since he came into her life."

"I know, but I don't trust him. I don't know why, but I don't. Now come on, we have a date tonight."

"Oh?"

"I'm taking you out to dinner. You, me, Ember, and Noah. I think we all deserve a night out."

At that, Josilyn smiled. "I'm not going to argue with that."

* * *

**Next chapter is going to be so much fun to write! Review please :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**This is going to be a fun chapter :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Maybe it's better this way-that we keep our darknesses close, hidden in our minds, protected by our hearts."**

* * *

Chapter 23

**One week later…**

**Elsa**

"Hey mom? Can I go see a movie with Spencer?" I asked, walking into the living room.

"Did he get the blood cleaned out of his car?" My dad countered.

"Yeah, he had that done like… two days after he got injured."

"I don't see why she can't go. The boy can handle himself. He proved that by saving you and being able to keep up with Hunter. Go on sweetie. Be careful," mom told me. I said thank you and ran up to my room to text Spencer back. I started digging through my closet, trying to figure out what to wear. I didn't really want to go to the movie theaters in my pajamas. I went with a skirt and a tank top. I threw on a thin sweater and put my makeup on. I was halfway done with my hair when I heard the doorbell ring. Spencer was early. Ember must've been the one who opened the door because I heard the two of them talking. Footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. Ember knocked, asking if she could come in. I told her she could. My door opened, revealing my sister and Josilyn. Ember shut the door and jumped on my bed.

"Your boyfriend is downstairs and looking mighty fine," Ember said. "Like seriously, if he wasn't yours and Noah wasn't mine, I'd totally tap him."

"Ember!" Josilyn laughed.

"What? He looks sexy in that leather jacket of his."

"I know exactly which jacket you're talking about too," I said, thinking back to the day Spencer had brought me lunch in his leather jacket. I'd be damned if I didn't say I'd never seen such a handsome guy.

"Do you really trust the others not to attack him? You know how mixed the pack is about him," I said.

"Mom wouldn't let anything happen to him. She knows he means too much to you."

"I know but dad hates him and you can't tell me otherwise."

"He doesn't hate him, he just… doesn't trust him."

"Still, I don't like him being near the pack," I muttered. I sprayed hairspray onto my curls and then tumped my head over so I could lightly brush the curls out. I flipped my hair back up and styled it the way I wanted. I just left it hanging loosely around my shoulders. Ponytails and hairclips gave me headaches. I threw on some silver hoops and a necklace before heading downstairs. Spencer stood in the foyer talking amiably with my mom. God he looked good…

"Hey Spencer," I greeted, stepping next to him.

"Hey Elsa. Sorry I was early. My sister told me traffic was bad earlier and so I thought it better we get there earlier rather than later."

"No problem. You ready to go?"

"Yeah. Mrs. Laroche, always a pleasure seeing you."

"You too. Be careful okay? If anything happens, call us," mom said.

"I will. Bye!" Spencer and I left my house, getting in his Ferrari.

"So what movie do you want to see?" Spencer asked, pulling out of our driveway.

"I'm literally game for anything. How about… Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation?" I suggested.

"Sounds good to me. The movie looked great in the previews! Oh, by the way, if you want, Caleb and Lily are making enchiladas for dinner tonight. Caleb said you love enchiladas and was wondering if you wanted to eat dinner with us."

"You had me at enchiladas," I told him. Spencer laughed.

We pulled into the movie theater, ordered some popcorn, two large drinks, and sat down in the back of the theater simply because those were the best seats (and because they reclined).

The movie was fantastic, even if we did run out of popcorn in the first twenty minutes of it. When we left, I texted my mom that I was going to eat dinner with Spencer, saying we were starving. She replied back saying okay.

Spencer's phone rang. Picking it up, I heard Caleb's voice on the other end, although I couldn't understand what he was saying. A few seconds later, Spencer hung up and said, "Caleb and Lily won't be home for a while. They took a drive in the park and they still need to go shopping for food for tonight. It looks like you'll be hanging out with me for a while."

"That's fine. What should we do to pass the time?"

"Well there's an Xbox there. I challenge you to a game of NFL Madden."

"Oh you're so on!"

The two of us raced into the living room once we reached Spencer's house. He shrugged off his jacket before putting in the game. Choosing our teams, he went for the Patriots. I loved my Broncos but I chose the Saints this time. For some reason, I'd always had a fascination with New Orleans. We were halfway through the game, tied, when I paused it.

"What is it?" he asked, instantly becoming alert.

"I heard something," I whispered. Getting up, I peered out the window. Caleb and Lily weren't home yet so it wasn't them.

"Elsa, get away from the window. I don't trust it not to be Hunters with guns. We should hide," Spencer said, taking me by the hand and dragging me away from the window. He led me to the guest bedroom and pulled the bookshelf away from the wall, revealing a hidden entrance. It was dark and I knew there were going to be tons of spiders in there. However, if I had to choose between Hunters and spiders, no matter how bad my arachnophobia was, I would still choose spiders. I entered the dark space first. Spencer came in behind me, shutting the bookshelf just as the door burst open. I heard glass breaking too. But those weren't what terrified me most. What terrified me was the sound of paws pattering on the wood.

"My family," I breathed. "They found us."

"Hurry. They'll find this sooner or later. Your parents will if anyone. They will most likely know that all Searchers' safe houses have secret escapes," Spencer said softly. I didn't need to be told twice. As quickly and quietly as we could, we ran down the steps and into a tunnel deep underground. Water dripped from the ceiling from the rainstorm we had earlier. More than once I stepped in a puddle, soaking my feet. Wearing flip flops had been a bad idea.

The tunnel was surprisingly wide but that was probably to make sure a lot of people could escape at one time. We'd been walking for twenty minutes when I finally heard someone from my pack, Sebastian by the sound of it, yelled: "Over here! There's a secret entrance! I can smell them! They went down here!"

Spencer and I froze. Turning to me, he said, "I'll hold them off. You get out of here."

"I'm not leaving you. They'll kill you without second thoughts."

"I can hold them off long enough for you to escape. I don't think they know it's you yet. Let's keep it that way. Go!"

"Not without you!" I hissed. The sound of running could be heard distinctly now. Not giving him a chance to fight back, I grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him towards the exit of the tunnel. We turned into wolves. It was easier to run faster like that. Spencer briefly turned human so he could move the boulder out of our way and placed it back once we were out of the tunnel. We scrambled away from the area before we both let out a long howl to alert Caleb and Lily what was happening.

_The road! We need to get to the road! _I said. Spencer agreed with me. We were back at running. I could smell my packmates nearby. They must've spread out to make sure we couldn't escape but since I didn't see any, I was praying we'd make it out of this without coming across any of them.

_Elsa, get home. I'll lead them away from you_. Spencer said.

_No! That's what they want us to do! They want us to separate! It's what they're good at. We're easier to take on if we're alone than if we're together. We stay together!_ I ordered.

_But you'll get in trouble! You remember your mother's warning if any of you broke the rules…_

_I'll be fine. They won't hurt me. They'll probably take me out of dance and keep me locked away in my room like Rapunzel or something._

_Your hair's not long enough for me to climb to come see you_. Spencer joked.

_No, but I do have sheets I can tie and lower down to you. But if they catch us, you won't be able to come see me because you'll be dead!_

He was about to make a retort when two wolves leapt in front of us: Barry and Akira. We skidded to a halt, backing away from them.

_Stay where you are_. Barry ordered.

_We're not your enemies_. Spencer said. _We're here to catch the Hunters._

_Tell that to our alphas. Akira, howl._

I didn't give her a chance. I tackled her to the ground and Spencer pinned Barry to the ground. We left them before they could see where we'd gone. They'd get their bearings soon though. After all, they were Guardians. Akira let out a howl. My packmates soon replied. They were coming for us. But that gave me an idea. If they were all leaving the house, that meant the Ferrari would be left unattended.

_Spencer, do you think we could get to your Ferrari and get the hell out of here? _I inquired, looking around to see if anyone was following us.

_Go left! We can make it! I have the keys in my pocket. We'll be good to go!_ He answered immediately. We changed course. I heard more howling from my pack, and I recognized that one all too well: they'd picked up our scent. I urged Spencer to run faster. If Barry and Laurel were near us, they would catch up to us easily. They were the fastest wolves in our pack.

The house came into view and I wanted to sigh in relief. No wolves were around it. I could feel Spencer's relief as well. We had nearly reached the car when I saw a flash of black fly at me from my left. With no time to react, I braced myself for impact. When the wolf hit me, they also bit down into my left arm. My howl of pain turned into a scream. I barely heard Spencer and Noah gnashing their teeth at each other. Noah got a good bite into Spencer's shoulder. The latter shifted into human and nailed my brother's second in the neck. Not enough to injure him but enough to get him to back off and to start hacking in an attempt to get his breath back. Suddenly Spencer was standing over me, in wolf form, in an undeniable stance of possession and protection. When Noah made a move towards me, Spencer snarled at him. My brother's second halted, but didn't stop growling. Suddenly my entire pack was there. I didn't know when that happened. My dad and my mom were in the front with Shiloh, Loren, and Hunter flanking them. The five biggest wolves and Spencer was still standing guard over me.

_Elsa, what happened?_ Hunter demanded.

_N-Noah bit me._ I stammered.

_I didn't know it was her!_ Noah snapped.

Spencer snarled. _Bullshit! You've lived with her your whole life! You know her damn scent!_

_You shut up!_ Hunter barked. _You lied to us. All of us. I knew there was a reason I didn't like you!_

_Stop, please, stop._ I said, standing up. Spencer moved off of me so I could, but he kept close.

_Elsa Felicity Laroche, how dare you be with another pack! _Dad said angrily.

_Dad, please, they're not-_

_No! Quiet! I will not believe anything that comes out of your mouth. You've been lying to us for months! Shiloh, bring her over here._

I limped back from my mom's second. Spencer stood in front of me, obviously ready to fight Shiloh if he came any closer.

_Kill him_. My dad ordered.

"No!" I screamed. I hadn't even realized I'd shifted forms until I heard my own voice. Shiloh lunged at Spencer who rolled out of the way. But Caleb's second wasn't attacking. He was only going on the defensive. My dad's second on the other hand was listening to his alpha's orders and was in this fight for the kill. As Shiloh charged him for a second time, a wolf the size of my dad and Hunter tackled him to the ground. Another one landed in front of Spencer. It barked at him. He backed away next to me. The wolf transformed into a furious Lily.

"What is the meaning of this?!" She demanded.

All of my pack shifted forms. The only one who remained a wolf was Caleb for the obvious reason that he didn't want my pack to know it was him.

"You being on our territory and stealing our daughter into your pack," dad said. I saw my mom walk over to Caleb and Shiloh. The latter was trying to push my brother off but as long as Caleb had him pinned, my family couldn't do anything to hurt us because Caleb could easily kill Shiloh in one swift bite.

"Let go of my second and I will not hurt you," Arya said, her eyes hard. She and Caleb had a stare-down and for a few tense moments, I wondered if my brother might actually kill Shiloh. I let out a sigh of relief when he backed away, keeping his eyes on my mom. Shiloh stood up, rubbing his neck ruefully. I could see the indentations of teeth in his skin. Arya placed a hand on his shoulder. She nodded at Caleb and said, "Thank you."

"Who's that?" Ren inquired.

"The other alpha," Lily responded.

"Why isn't he shifting?"

"He doesn't want to. And it's much easier to crush someone's neck with a wolf's mouth rather than a human's. As for your comment about us 'stealing your daughter' into our pack, let's clear that up shall we? We didn't _steal_ her. We're not the ones who sought her out. _She _found _us_," Lily said furiously. "You have a lot of nerve accusing us of stuff when all we've been doing is searching for the Hunters and protecting your damn pack."

"We don't need your protection!" My dad roared. His eyes settled on me. I cowered at the fury in them. Spencer took my hand in his. "You found them and you didn't tell us? You _knew_ we were hunting for them and you stayed silent!"

"I almost did! I almost told you but they gave me an offer I couldn't turn down," I said.

"What exactly was that offer?" My mom demanded.

"A chance to search for the Hunters. They were telling me everything they found which is a lot more than you and dad ever did."

"Elsa, I told you to let that go," Ember said hesitantly. She didn't need to elaborate for me to know what she was referring to.

"You don't understand. None of you do."

"And they do? These people you don't even know?" Hunter growled. "What else have you been lying to us about?"

"Spencer and I aren't dating. For them to keep an eye on you, they needed information about where you'd be. I gave that to Spencer. When we ran into each other when we shopping in December and you asked why I was sneaking out, Lily made up the lie that we were dating. Spencer and I went along with it to throw off suspicion."

"You said her name was Carter."

"It's her last name."

"You two were pretty convincing," Noah commented in a snarky tone.

"Yeah, well, Spencer and I have learned to be damn good actors."

"Elsa, over here. _Now_," My father commanded.

"Spencer, let her go," Lily added. Reluctantly, he listened. I walked over there slowly.

My mom stepped forward. "You have one hour to clear out of here. When we come back, you better be gone. If not, we will not hesitate in killing you."

"Arya-" My dad began.

She held up her hand, cutting him off. Pointing at Spencer, she elaborated. "This one saved your life. And considering your life is worth more than all of theirs, I'm giving them the option of life or death. This will be your first and final warning. Get out or get killed."

My mom turned on her heel. Snarls and growls were exchanged as we walked away from Spencer, Lily, and Caleb. I couldn't help but watch them as I was forced to walk forward. Only when they were out of view did I face forward. I kept my head down. Mom and dad walked in front of me, Hunter to my left, Noah to the right, and Loren and Shiloh behind me. There was no way I could bolt, and even if I tried, I couldn't run at full speed with my injured arm. It was throbbing. Noah had definitely broken the bone into multiple pieces. Being a Guardian, it would heal faster than most, and it would heal properly, but it'd take a few days.

When we arrived at my house, Josilyn was pacing in the living room, biting her thumb. At the sight of me, she instantly exclaimed, "Elsa! What happened?! Here, sit down and-"

Hunter stopped her from coming near me. She gave him an inquisitive glance but backed down. I sat down on the couch. No one sat with me. They all crowded around the back of the couch except for my parents, Hunter, Josilyn, Noah, Shiloh, and Loren who stood in front of the fireplace. Josilyn held Hunter's hand, her eyes flitting between me and my brother. I couldn't bear to look at her though.

"Elsa Felicity Laroche, you have betrayed this pack and fraternized with an enemy pack. For that, you will incur the necessary punishments. First, I am taking you out of dance. That was how the pack got to you in the first place. Second, no more phone. I know you have all their numbers in it and I do not want you calling them or them calling you. Third, no more computer or television. Your only source of entertainment will be reading and patrols and work with your mother. Fourth, none of the pack shall speak to you. The only ones allowed are me, your mother, Hunter, and Ember, and that's only if we're ordering you to do something. You may not speak to us unless spoken to first. You have lied to us for months, therefore nothing you say can be trusted. And lastly, I am revoking your position as Josilyn's beta. From now on, you are the omega of this pack," my dad said. A gasp went around the room at the last consequence.

"Dad, please, they weren't hurting me, they weren't hurting any of you, they were watching out for us! They were protecting us! Spencer saved your life! Don't do this, please!" I pleaded.

"Enough! Did I ask you what you thought on this matter? No, I didn't."

"You've never listened to me! You've always treated me like I was someone to be coddled and I'm not! I'm eighteen dad! I'm one of the strongest wolves in the pack!" I turned to my mom. "Mom, listen to me! You've always been sensible with stuff like this!"

My mother's face remained stoic so I looked at my brother. "You told me you'd always be there for me when I needed you."

My brother replied with missing a beat. "I told that to a sister I trusted."

My mouth dropped open. "How… how could you?"

Hunter simply stared at me.

"Before you go to your room, where you will stay until breakfast and with your door unlocked, do you have any last words?" My dad asked.

I stood up, mustering up the little courage and defiance I had left in me and replied, "Caleb would've believed me."

"Caleb isn't here," he retorted.

"Well then let these be my last words: wherever Caleb is, I wish I was with him." I stalked up the stairs and shut my door.

Then, and only then, did I finally allow myself to break down.

* * *

**Elsa got herself into some deep shit. What did y'all think?**


	24. Chapter 24

**Did the last chapter surprise you? I hope so! Here's the next one :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**The relationship of a girl and her favorite novel can be complex indeed."**

* * *

Chapter 24

**Hunter**

After the pack had filed out of our house, my dad sank against the wall and mumbled, "I hated doing that."

"Ren, you were too harsh. The dance, her phone, the computer, the television, that makes sense, but her beta position? Everyone here knows that Elsa is no omega and she will not conform to the role. Ever," my mom stated firmly.

"I know. But she needed to be put in her place and the pack needed an example of what happens if you break the rules of our pack. Unfortunately she happened to be the example. Hunter, go heal her arm. I don't want to see her in pain."

"I think her pain is a lot more mental than physical, dad," I said.

"Then put her out of her physical pain. Go." I nodded. I went up the stairs and knocked on Elsa's door. I was greeted with silence even though I could hear her breathing on the other side.

"Elsa," I said. "It's Hunter. Let me in."

When she still didn't respond, I poked my head through the door. Elsa was on the floor surrounded by cotton pads and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. She had her injured arm resting limply while she cleaned off the blood. Tears streaked down her face but she made no sound. Her body was visibly shaking.

"Are you okay?" I asked, shutting her door.

"I just got my beta position taken away, my phone taken away, my computer taken away, television taken away, I can't go to dance, I can't speak to anyone, no one can speak to me, I'm under house arrest, I got my arm mangled by your second, and I was made a fool of in front of the pack. You tell me how I'm doing?" She snapped, not even bothering to look at me.

"Hurt? Angry? Embarrassed? In pain?" I walked towards her slowly. My sister was one of the few who could beat me in a fight next to mom, dad, Noah, Shiloh, and Loren. She might've been injured but her fury was beyond comprehension right now. Her fury would only fuel her if she decided to attack me.

"I don't care about having dance taken away, or my phone, or the television, or the house arrest, or speaking to anyone… hell, I don't even care about my arm getting mangled. It'll heal. But you and I both know I am not an omega. You and I both know I am no more and no less than a beta." Elsa grabbed the bloody cotton pads and stood up. She walked over to the trash can to throw them away.

"I'm going to try and convince dad to put you back at beta status, because I _do_ know you're not an omega. Everyone does. Dad included. He needed to make an example of what happens if you break the rules and no matter how much I wish it wasn't, that example is you. Here, let me give you some blood so you can get that arm healing up faster."

I took her hand but she jerked it away. "Don't touch me."

"Elsa?"

"You told me that if I ever needed anything that I could always go to you. The one time I truly needed you, you didn't help me. Why can I trust anything you say?" she asked.

"I know you're hurt mentally, and I don't think there's much I could do about it right now, and after tonight I know you wouldn't let me help with it anyway. But I can help your arm. I hate seeing you in pain. So does dad and mom and Ember."

"Good. Let them see. Let everyone see. Let them know that family means nothing in this pack and that if they break the rules, this is what will happen. Dad wants me to be an example? Then I'll be the example. My arm will be the example."

I gave her a pained expression. "Don't do this. Let me help you in the one way I can."

"You want to help me?" I nodded. "Then get out of my room. Leave me alone."

"Elsa-"

"Just go!"

"Holler if you need me." I walked to her bedroom door, pausing at the entrance. Turning around, I said, "Just tell me one thing: did you mean it? About wanting to be with Caleb?"

"Yes," she answered instantly. I felt a knot form in my throat. I felt I'd lost my sister completely. It was bad enough losing Anna, but I at least knew she wasn't coming back. With Elsa, she was right there and she was still lost to me. I shut her door. I thought about going to my room but I wanted out of my house. I passed the office where I heard mom and dad talking. I saw Noah and Ember sitting on the fountain's edge in the front. I went outside to the McKay's gazebo. It had really comfy swing chairs and benches. I sat down in one of them, slowly rocking the chair back and forth.

I must've sat there for hours for the sun had disappeared behind the mountains. Only moonlight remained.

Someone knocked on the wood at the entrance of the gazebo. Josilyn stood there with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. "You've been out here for three hours. I thought I might bring you something," she said, placing them in front of me. "How are you?"

"I've lost Elsa. She doesn't trust me at all, she doesn't want to be part of the pack anymore, she wants to be with Caleb, and what hurts the most is that I've lost her yet she's right next door to me. I will see her everyday knowing that I can't get her back. At least with Anna I know I've lost her completely and that she won't be coming back. Losing Elsa is actually worse…" I confessed. Josilyn rested her head on my shoulder. Just having her in my arms was enough to ease my sadness. "She wouldn't let me heal her. Her arm is still mangled and bloody."

"What? Why wouldn't she let you heal her?" Josilyn queried, staring at me with deep concern.

"Because she said that if dad wanted her to be an example, then she would be one, that her arm would be one. God she is so much like dad sometimes. It's why they're always butting heads. She may look like mom, and she may have mom's personality, but she has dad's attitude and his stubbornness. She won't speak to any of us, not even to Ember."

"Could I speak with her?"

"You're not allowed to. Even if you are my mate."

She sighed. "Well then could you send her some flowers for me?"

"Sure."

"Come help me pick them out!" Josilyn exclaimed, getting up and running to the roses. I grabbed the milk and cookies, eating them while I watched her decide which roses to give to Elsa. It was one of the things I loved about Josilyn. She was always wanting to take care of people, to cheer them up when they were down. In the dark times my family was living in, she was this bright light to me. I truthfully didn't know what I'd do if I lost her. Her heart condition terrified me and while the doctors assured us over and over again that it wasn't life-threatening and that her medication would help her live a longer, healthier life, I was still terrified that one day I'd get a call from someone telling me Josilyn was dead.

"Here, take these to her. I hope she likes them," Josilyn said, handing me the bouquet of flowers. "If she'll listen to you, tell her I'll see her when she gets out of house arrest."

I chuckled. "I will."

I walked Josilyn to her door and kissed her goodnight. I entered my own house. Mom and dad were still talking but their whispers were so hushed that I couldn't make out what they were discussing. I padded quietly up the stairs to Elsa's bedroom. When I entered the room, her lamp was on, making me think she was awake even though her back was to the door. I was wrong though. She was fast asleep, her injured arm stretched out at an awkward angle. I cringed at the sight of the dried blood and the deep gashes. I'd have to convince her in the morning to let me heal her. If I couldn't, maybe Ember could. But then again, Elsa was dad's daughter. When she had decided something, it was hell trying to convince her otherwise.

She'd fallen asleep on top of her sheets. I knew if I tried to move the covers over her that she'd wake up. I was one of the last people she wanted to see so instead, placing the bouquet of roses on her nightstand, I grabbed a blanket from her closet and placed it over her. As I turned around, the glint of glass caught my attention. At first, a dark, disturbing thought appeared in my head. I couldn't move as it bubbled up in my head. Had dad's words, had my actions, finally pushed her over the edge? For a few moments, I stood frozen in fear, unable to move for a few moments, until I finally forced myself to look at what had glinted between her arm and her chest. I let out a huge sigh of relief as I noticed it was simply a picture frame. I carefully pulled it back a little so I could see what it was. My heart clenched. I remembered that day. It was one of the last days Anna had been alive. She and Elsa were standing behind Caleb who was sitting on the floor. They had their heads resting on his shoulders.

"How is she?" My mother asked softly from the doorway. I backed away from my sister, shutting the door, and meeting her in the hallway.

"Hurting, physically and mentally."

"Even after you healed her arm?"

"She wouldn't let me. She's throwing dad's words back at him and me. She said that if dad wanted her to be an example, then she and her arm were going to be that example. Mom, I think… I think she hates us. She told me she meant it when she said she wishes she was with Caleb. She fell asleep holding a picture of her, Anna, and Caleb. Mom, I'm scared she'll try and leave and find him."

"Shh," mom consoled, pulling me into a hug. "She's been hurt and embarrassed and that's made her angry. Give her time to cool down. She doesn't hate us. She's just beyond angry."

"Did we make the right decision? Kicking that pack out of our territory?"

"Yes. This is our territory. Unless someone kills us for it, it will always be ours and no one else can stay here without our permission. If they had wanted to stay here, they should've asked us. As for Elsa leaving, your father and I are worried about it too. I don't think she'd pull a Caleb, leave everything and everyone behind without contacting us somewhere along the way, but I do believe she's capable of finding that pack and joining them until the Hunters are all but extinguished. Then she'd come back."

"I don't want her to leave. There's only three of them in that pack. They wouldn't be able to protect her."

"Elsa can handle herself. She'd be okay. Your dad still sees her as that eleven year old waking up screaming from nightmares and as the girl he held in his arms whenever that'd happen. I'm trying to get him to look past that and accept her for the woman she's grown to be, as vengeful as she may be against the Hunters. Talk to her tomorrow when she's had some sleep. It's been a long day for all of us. I'll see you in the morning sweetie. Get some sleep. Good night."

I kissed her on the cheek. "Good night mom."

* * *

**Lily**

"She still not answering her phone?" I asked, as Caleb paced up and down the length of our hotel room. He shook his head, running his hand through his hair. I looked over at Spencer who was sitting in a chair, staring down at his hands. He'd refused to take blood to help his shoulder heal. I'd still forced him to at least let me clean the wound and bandage it up and make him put a new shirt on.

We'd left the Searchers' hideout within thirty minutes of Arya Laroche's threat. She was more sensible than her husband but I knew her threat was a serious one. However, Caleb had no intentions of leaving Estes Park, not while the Hunters were here and especially not now that Elsa wasn't answering any of his calls. He'd even tried calling her from Spencer's cellphone but it went to voicemail every time.

"Damn it Elsa, pick up!" Caleb growled, yanking the phone away from his ear and redialing the number.

"Caleb, maybe they took her phone away. They know she'd probably try and call us first chance she got," I said in an attempt to reason with him.

"She committed treason against the pack. That's the second most abhorrent thing you can do in the pack next to straight-up murdering one of your own pack members. For all I know, they could've killed her."

"They didn't kill her, Caleb. They've probably just severely punished her."

"Let me go check on her. It's too dangerous for Caleb to go and Lily pissed off Hunter and Ren so much that they'd kill her without second thoughts. I'm the best option for this. I know which one is Elsa's room. I could leap to her balcony easily," Spencer said.

"No, I'm not putting you in anymore danger," Caleb said.

"We won't be able to find out any other way."

"How about this? We wait two days to see if she contacts us. If not, then Caleb and I will create a distraction to get the Laroche pack away from the compound. I doubt they'll let Elsa come because they don't trust her right now. Deal?" I said. The two boys looked at each other before nodding at me. "Good. Now both of you get some sleep."

"What about you?" Caleb questioned, scrunching up his face in worry.

"Someone has to take care of work here. Go on. I'll be to bed soon."

* * *

**Ember**

It'd been two days since the fiasco with Spencer and his pack. Hunter had never been so quiet. Elsa wouldn't speak or look at any of us unless forced. She was barely eating although I'm pretty sure she was sneaking down in the middle of the night to eat more food. I wasn't going to rat her out though. She'd been in enough trouble.

Dad couldn't look at her, although I believed that was more because she prominently displayed her still mangled arm. Mom, dad, Hunter, and I had all tried to get her to let us heal it. Every time her response would be: "Dad wants me to be an example to the pack. So let me and my arm be one." Dad hated for any of us to be hurt…

Noah wouldn't come in the house after a small incident between him and Elsa. I'd opened the door to let him in. We had started going up the stairs. Just as he'd rounded the corner to the hallway leading to my bedroom, he ran smack dab into Elsa. She punched him in the jaw. The force sent him staggering back.

"That's for my arm," she'd hissed.

"Elsa!" I'd exclaimed. She had glared at me with such rage that I cowered slightly. My dad came around the corner a few moments later and didn't need to be told what happened as he saw Noah cradling his cheek and Elsa's hands clenched into fists. He had barked at her to go into her room.

If I wanted to see my boyfriend, I had to go over to his house. Josilyn always sent me home with flowers to give to Elsa. I swear Elsa had about ten vases of flowers in her room. My sister ignored me every time I went in.

Currently we were sitting at the dinner table. Mom and dad talked about business at the hotel. Hunter and I talked about what we'd done that day. He kept glancing over at Elsa. I knew he wanted to engage her in conversation but she hadn't forgiven any of us. All we could get out of her was a grunt or two.

"Elsa?" My dad said. She grunted, as I knew she would. "Look at me."

Reluctantly she did. 'Yes, sir?"

I saw the slight cringe on my dad's face at her terminology. She was treating him more as if he were her master than a father. "I have a question for you." When she simply stared at him, he continued. "I want to know where your loyalties lie."

"I thought you said you couldn't trust anything that comes out of my mouth," she said.

"Don't speak to your father like that," mom warned. Elsa sank lower in her chair.

"Do you want to stay in this pack?" Dad asked.

Elsa paled. "A-are you kicking me out?"

"No. We're giving you the option. You can stay with our pack or join the one Spencer's in. It's your choice." Hunter's hand gripped his knife so tightly, his knuckles turned white.

"You're really going to give her that option?" he demanded, staring at dad. "You know what she's going to pick. We all do."

"I know, but I will not keep my daughter here if she truly wishes to join another pack."

"Dad, we've lost Anna and Caleb. Don't-"

"You're not getting rid of me that easily. Besides, Spencer's pack is gone. They're too far away for me to join them now. I'm staying here," Elsa interrupted. "You're my pack, no matter how much I disagree with your politics and your decisions. But just because I'm staying doesn't mean I forgive any of you. I'm not hungry anymore. May I be excused?"

"You're excused," mom said. Elsa put her plate in the kitchen sink and went upstairs. Hunter hung his head in relief. Mom put her hand on his shoulder. "I told you she'd stay."

"Only because Spencer's pack is gone," he said. "If I ever see them again, I'll kill them. All of them."

"Don't kill Spencer," I told him.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't think they were having to act too hard when they were pretending to date. She really did like him. Just kill the alphas, have him join our pack."

"Ember has a point. Elsa's attachment is greater to him than the other two," Mom remarked. "She's angry at us now, but she'd never forgive us if we hurt him."

"Can I maim him?" Hunter prodded.

"That'll be up to you. Come on, let's go get these dishes clean and then go on patrol." Mom got up and Hunter followed. Dad and I cleaned the counters and table.

"I'm going to go see Elsa. I'll be back," dad said, leaving us alone.

"What is he going to do?" Hunter asked.

"He's going to talk to her."

"About what?"

"I have no idea, but I don't think he'll be taking anything else away from her."

"How can he? He took everything away from her already," Hunter mumbled.

My mother grimaced. "Not everything."

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"If Elsa puts another toe out of line, he could revoke her position in the pack entirely," mom explained.

"What do you mean?" Hunter demanded.

"It means we would have to kick her out of the pack."

* * *

**Elsa**

I sat on my bed, flipping through a photo album of mine, when someone knocked on the door. I didn't bother telling the person to come in because I knew if it was anyone in my family, they'd just come on in anyway. Sure enough, my dad stepped into my room. That did surprise me somewhat. He hadn't been to see me since I was punished.

"How's your arm?" He asked, sitting at the edge of my bed.

"Fine," I lied. It looked like hell and hurt even worse, but I wasn't going to admit that. I was going to bear it with courage. I had to be the example.

"You're really going to keep lying to me?" He sounded exasperated.

"Even if I told the truth, you wouldn't believe me. You said nothing that comes out of my mouth can be trusted so what does it matter what I say?" Dad put his elbows on his knees, staring at his fingers. I watched him from the corner of my eye. "Are you kicking me out of the pack and just didn't want to say it in front of Hunter?"

"No, I'm not kicking you out of the pack. But Elsa, I do have to warn you that if you break another rule… your mom and I will have no choice but to do so. Please don't make us do that."

"Considering you have me locked away in this house like I'm Rapunzel or something, I doubt I could get into any trouble."

"You're also just like me, so I think you could." My dad paused, wavering in telling me what was next in his mind. "Were you serious about wanting to be with Caleb?"

"Hunter already asked me that."

"I know. I want to hear your answer."

"I do. Because he would've believed me when I said that Spencer's pack wasn't doing anything wrong."

"You know where he is, don't you?"

"I wouldn't tell you even if I did. Caleb doesn't want to be found."

"If you told me where he was, I'd contact him for you, get him to take you in. I know he would. You were always his favorite."

"Do you want me gone?" It was supposed to be a sarcastic remark but came out as more of a serious question.

"Why would you ever ask such a thing? Of course I don't want you gone. I want you here where it's safe and-" Dad was cut off by a two long, low howls. My dad's eyes glowered murderously. "We'll continue this conversation later. I have some wolves to go kill."

"Dad, please don't kill them! They're not hurting anyone!" I cried.

"Your mother told them to get out or get killed. We have to keep our word." My dad hurried downstairs. I followed him. The rest of the pack was already in the house, listening to my mom's orders. She was splitting people into groups on how to surround the two wolves.

"If you see Spencer, spare him. I have questions for him," mom said. "Josilyn, Elsa, you two stay here. Laroche pack, go!"

Josilyn and I stared as our pack left the house. Josilyn locked the door and turned to me with a shy smile. "Hey, at least you can talk to someone else without getting in trouble."

I didn't respond to her. All I could think of was the image of Caleb and Lily dead and a maimed Spencer.

"Elsa?" Josilyn prodded, coming up to me. I backed away from her. "Elsa what did I do?"

"Nothing! Just leave me alone," I said, wiping a tear off my face.

"Maybe the wolves will escape our pack," she said in an attempt to comfort me.

"No one escapes us. They'll be-" I halted short when I saw movement in her garden next door. I pulled her into the foyer where we were away from that window. "Stay hidden. I just saw something in the garden."

"Don't go check it out! You parents told us to stay here!" she whispered frantically.

"Exactly where is 'here'? The house? The compound?"

"If you're caught, they'll kick you out of the pack!"

"I'll find somewhere to live if they do. Now stay down and stay quiet. I'll be back."

"You're injured!"

"But I'm still stronger than you Josilyn. If that's a Hunter out there, the only person who stands a chance is me." I quietly opened my front door and peeked outside. I saw nothing. Shutting the door and shifting into a black wolf, I slunk along the walls of my house, scanning the area for the movement. I saw the shadow in the garden again, closer to the gazebo. Carefully, I made my way over, keeping an eye out for whoever or whatever was making the shadow. They ended up in front of me. Not caring who it was, I lunged on top of them. They fell to the ground with a grunt. I growled at them.

"Elsa it's me!" Spencer whispered.

I shifted and got off of him, helping him stand up in the process. "Spencer? What are you doing here?! If my pack catches you here they'll kill you!"

"They're not going to catch me. The howl Lily and Caleb did was just a distraction. They high-tailed it to their motorcycle after that. Your pack was sent on a wild goose chase. I came to check on you. You weren't answering your phone or your emails and we feared the worst," Spencer rushed. His eyes drifted down to my arm. "Why hasn't that healed? Why didn't they give you blood?"

"I didn't let them. My dad punished me in front of the whole pack, making me an example of what happens if you break the rules. They wanted to heal me but I told them no. I told them that if they wanted to make me an example, then let me and my arm be an example. And what did you mean you feared the worst?"

"Will you let me heal it for you?"

"No, but thank you. Now what did you mean by you feared the worst?"

"We thought… Caleb said the second to worst thing you can do in the Laroche pack is commit treason. We thought that your family had killed you," he admitted. "We were frantic. We kept calling your cellphone and when you wouldn't pick up, I offered to go see what had happened to you. Lily reasoned with us that you were probably just being punished and didn't have your phone on you. She made us wait two days."

"Hey, I'm fine. Angry and hurt, sure, but overall I'm okay. I promise," I said, giving him a comforting smile, or at least what I hoped was one.

"What was your punishment? Caleb wants to know."

"Where do I begin? Um, let's see… no phone, no computer, no television, no dance, no leaving the house, no speaking to anyone, no one can speak to me, and my dad stripped me of my beta title. I'm no longer Josilyn's second."

"What are you then? Fourth or fifth in the rankings?"

"Worse…" I muttered, looking down at the ground. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes at the thought of my title loss. It was what I had been most proud of. To have that taken away from me, there was no feeling like it.

"Fifteenth? Twentieth?" Spencer guessed, taking a step closer to me. I shook my head. A growl formed deep in his throat. "They made you omega?"

"Yeah," I whispered. "They made omega."

"How dare-" he stopped short, unable to express his anger. "You are no damn omega, Elsa."

"They know that, but I don't have a choice. It's what my alphas decided. I can't argue with them. If I do, I get in more trouble. You need to go though. My parents will be back soon and they'll kill you if they find you here."

"Come back with me," Spencer said softly. "You'd automatically be Caleb's second. You'd be in the position you're meant to be in."

I stared at him, not really believing what he was saying. This was my chance. This was my chance to be with Caleb. Hadn't I told my dad and Hunter that I'd rather be with him? But Hunter would be devastated. I'd seen how he'd reacted at dinner when dad asked if I wanted to be in the pack. Hunter hadn't even been able to look at me. "Spencer, I- I can't. They're my pack and despite their flaws, it's where I belong. Thank you though, for the offer."

"Elsa?" Josilyn asked in horror. Spencer and I snapped our heads in her direction. Her eyes were flitting between the two of us.

"Josilyn, you can't tell anyone he was here," I said. "He was here to check up on me. That's it."

"No, he just offered you a place in his pack. I heard him. They were after you. Elsa, I can't lie to your parents or Hunter or-"

"You wouldn't be lying. You simply wouldn't be telling them."

"I was offering her a place because I don't agree with the punishment her parents bestowed upon her."

"She committed treason. I don't like it either but I can't change it," Josilyn replied.

"Josilyn, you can't breathe a word about this. You can't. When all of this is over, I'll explain everything, but please-"

"Tell her," Spencer said. "She won't understand unless you tell her."

"But what about-"

"He'll understand. Do you trust her though?"

"I do."

"Then tell her. I'll let him know."

"Tell me what? I'm right here!" Josilyn remarked. Spencer backed away from us. I led my friend to the gazebo. "Elsa, what else have you been lying about? How deep does this go?"

"I haven't been lying about this. I just haven't told anyone. He didn't want me to."

"Who? Who didn't want you to tell anyone?"

"Spencer's alpha. The male one."

"You know who he is?"

I nodded. "I do. And because of his identity, I've kept quiet. If it was anyone other than him, I would've told our pack who he was by now."

"Who is it? Stop with the guessing games."

Just as I was about to say my brother's name, he leapt over the railing of the gazebo, landing right next to us. Shifting forms, Caleb said, "Me. She was protecting me."

Josilyn stared at him. "Who exactly… oh my god. Oh my god! Caleb!"

She threw her arms around his neck, squeezing the living daylights out of him.

"Hey Josie," he said. "How are you?"

"How am I? You're the one who's been gone for eight years! Where have you been? Where did you go? Why haven't you called us?"

"I've been in Canada. I didn't call because I didn't want any of y'all to know where I was. I never planned on Elsa finding me either. But when she nearly called the entire pack on our location, I had to tell her. She's been sneaking out to see me since October."

"That explains everything, why she would lie to us for so long. That explains why you were dating Spencer, to not only throw off suspicion that you were hanging out with the new wolf pack, but also because Caleb was their alpha," Josilyn remarked.

"I came here after the Hunters. But right now, I'm here because I hadn't heard from Elsa and I got worried. But Josilyn, you can't tell anyone I'm here. Absolutely no one. Not Noah, not your parents, not Hunter, not Ember, not the other kids, not the other parents, and above all, don't tell my parents."

"But Caleb-"

"Don't argue with me on this. Trust me, it's for the best this way. I know it sucks. Spencer and I have to go. Stay safe, stay healthy, and howl if you need us. We'll be here as fast as we can." Caleb hugged Josilyn, hugged me, and then took off. She stared at the two wolves in shock, as if she was unable to register that Caleb had really just come. I took her by the hand and brought her back inside where she proceeded to have a panic attack.

"Elsa, you can't- this is treason! Again! Even if it is Caleb! You'll be kicked out of the pack or worse you'll be killed! You can't keep talking to them! And when your parents find out they were here-"

"We'll play dumb. We'll say we saw no one. I lost Caleb once and damn it Josilyn, I'm not losing my brother again. So when our parents get back, and if they catch Caleb and Spencer's scent, we'll say we know nothing about it. Got it?"

"But what about-"

"What happened? Josilyn, are you okay?!" Hunter exclaimed, kneeling down next to her.

"She had a panic attack," I said. "She was worrying too much about you guys. She thought maybe the Hunters might catch you out there."

"Sweetie, I'm fine. We're all fine. Ember, go get her a glass of water," my brother ordered.

"I'm so-sorry. I'm being so dramatic but I got… I got so worried," Josilyn lied. I felt relief flood through my body. She was going to keep my secret. As long as she did that, not only would I be okay, but more importantly, so would Caleb's identity.

* * *

**Woo! Nine pages on word! Hope y'all enjoyed :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Because SACarter actually reviewed the last two chapters, y'all get another one. Reviews prompt me to write more you know.**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**I'm a fighter, not a lover."  
****~Calla Tor, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 25

**Ember**

"Any news from Dom?" Noah asked, bringing me a cup of coffee.

"No, but he said that it took him a year to track her down the first time. We just have to wait," I said.

"Have you told Elsa?"

"No. She still isn't speaking to us unless necessary. I think that's more because she's upset over being made an omega than anything else."

"She needs to get over it. She broke the rules so she pays the consequences."

"Then what exactly is it that we're doing, Noah? Searching for my dead sister with a guy we barely even know," I pointed out. He fell silent. "Exactly. If we're not careful, we'll be caught too. The good thing for us is that we're dating. It's easier to make excuses to get out of the house to go meet Dom."

"Maybe we should try and find her on our own. Then if we get caught, we don't get caught with some random ass stranger."

"How would we find her Noah? We know nothing about her habits when travelling and Dom said she was trained to evade detection."

"Sounds an awful lot like Elsa, avoiding detection."

"They were always good at that. They'd always steal cookies for me, Hunter, and Caleb whenever the five of us would be getting along and stay up late together on weekends. If Hunter, Caleb, or I tried, we'd always get caught. I don't know how they did it."

"We should learn from her."

"Elsa wouldn't teach us. Then we'd know her tricks and how to catch her."

"Ember! Noah! Come down! Pack meeting!" My mom called.

"I wonder what this is about now," I wondered.

"Maybe they killed all the Hunters."

I snorted. "They'd be celebrating, not calling a pack meeting."

When the two of us reached downstairs, the rest of our pack was still filing in. Elsa was last to come down. She sat by herself on the stairs. I could tell she was trying to make herself invisible to the pack. Barry sat down next to her though, giving her a nudge. Elsa gave him a tiny smile.

"We've called you down here because after a long discussion last night, Ren and I have decided that as strong as this pack is, we are not able to defend ourselves completely from the wrath of the Hunters. Therefore we contacted Ren's sister Adne. We requested to stay with the Searchers until the Hunters have been exterminated. We leave tomorrow afternoon, at two, where we will drive down to New Mexico to bring the Hunters away from our homes and our business. There we will meet up with Adne and Connor. They will open up a portal for us to get to the Academy. Pack whatever you need. It is unlikely we will be able to return here for a good month. Ren and I, along with Shiloh and Carrie, and Loren and Melinda will be taking the Porsche Cayenne's and putting all our luggage in there. Any purses and backpacks you take, keep with you. Make sure you have stuff to entertain you. You will be driving in pairs. Ren and I will program the destination into the car of your choosing in case you lose sight of us while driving there," Arya said.

"There is one… situation we have though. Adne knows about the wolf pack that we chased earlier. They have been helping the Searchers in their mission to get the Hunters. She has requested we not attack them. We are going to oblige to that rule. Adne also requested that they join us in going to the Academy. When we see the pack, we will be polite, but we will not be friendly, and we will not speak to them unless it is absolutely necessary. Lastly, we will be meeting the head of the Academy when we arrive so dress nicely," dad added. His eyes settled on Elsa. He pulled her phone out of his pocket and tossed it to her. "Call Spencer and tell him that he and his pack are invited to join us on the ride down to New Mexico to stay with the Searchers. Tell him we're leaving at two on the dot. If they're late, we're leaving without them. Call him on speaker so we all know what you're saying."

My sister's face flushed a deep red from embarrassment. Biting her lip, she pulled up Spencer's name in her contacts and hit dial. The phone had barely rang once before he picked up.

"Elsa, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just so you know, you're on speaker phone," she said.

"Who's exactly there?"

"Everyone."

"Hey Laroche pack," Spencer greeted nervously.

"Hey Spencer!" Riley shouted. Gracie clamped a hand over his mouth while his parents sent him death glares.

"Was that Riley?" Spencer laughed.

"Yeah, that was him."

"Hi Riley!" he yelled. In a normal voice, he aside, "So what's up?"

"Do I hear a car?"

"Yeah I'm in the Ferrari."

"You're not driving and talking are you?"

"No, I'm just waiting for Lily to come out of the store. So what's up?" he repeated.

"We're leaving tomorrow for New Mexico to go stay with the Searchers. My parents were told by Adne that you and your pack weren't to be harmed and so mom and dad have invited you and your alphas to come along with us."

"Really? It's not some sort of trap to kill us or anything?" he laughed.

"Not that I know of," Elsa replied.

"Hang on, let me ask Lily." I could hear mumbling over the background. A few seconds later, he came back on. "We'll come. What time are you leaving the house?"

"Two in the afternoon. Oh, and dress nicely. We're apparently meeting the head of the Academy."

"All right, we'll see you then. Be careful, Elsa. If anyone bites you again, bite them back," Spencer told her. Noah growled. Elsa bit back a smile as she replied, "Thanks for the advice. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't be late or my family will leave without you."

The two of them hung and my sister tossed her phone back to my dad.

"Go pack. Elsa, a word," Dad ordered. My sister crossed her arms tightly across her chest, fearful that she was going to receive more punishment. I went up the stairs with Noah until we were out of sight of my parents. Only then did I drop down to my knees and listen to what was being said. Apparently Hunter had the same idea because he knelt down next to me.

"Who do you want to ride with to New Mexico?" mom asked.

"Anyone outside of this pack," Elsa retorted.

"Spencer. He's the only one I semi-trust for you to be around. I don't like Lily and the other alpha is shady. Keep your phone on you at all times in the car so we can check up on you. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now go pack. And tell your siblings to stop listening in on our conversations. Unlike you, they're not that sneaky." Hunter, Noah, and I scrambled to our rooms.

* * *

**Spencer**

I pulled up in the Ferrari at Elsa's house at one-forty-five. Caleb and Lily pulled up behind me in another Ferrari, a white one. We'd traded in our motorcycles to help reduce the price on the Ferrari although it didn't help much. Of course, we could still afford it. The Laroche pack filed out with their suitcases. Elsa took up the rear. I got out of the car to go greet her. But one look from her told me to stay where I was. After throwing her suitcases in the car, she came over to me with her parents.

"My daughter is riding in the car with you. All the other cars here seat only two people and the SUVs are filled to the brim with suitcases. Take care of her and no harm will come to you," Ren warned. "Arya will program the destination into your cars' navigations."

"Yes, sir," I said. After Mrs. Laroche had put the destination in, I opened the car door for Elsa. She got in. Once I'd slid into the driver seat and shut my door, I asked, "How are you doing? How's your arm?"

"Better. It's almost completely healed. It still hurts once in a while but nothing like before. How are you doing? How's your shoulder?"

"Completely healed. Oh, before I forget, Caleb wanted you to call him, just so he can hear your voice."

Elsa nodded, pulling out her phone. She briefly talked to her brother, mostly assuring him that she was okay and that her arm was healing. After hanging up, she said, "Thank you for letting me ride with you."

"I was going to offer it to you even though your parents probably would've said no."

"They asked who I wanted to ride with. I said anyone outside of my pack. So they chose you because my mom said she at least semi-trusts you."

"Really? Her death glare when she was talking to me told me otherwise," Spencer joked.

"Oh you know alphas. They have to be the big bad wolf- no pun intended- even if they're a big softie on the inside."

"A big softie to the people they love. Caleb is a perfect example of that. Lily is too, you'd just never know it. She's very… blunt about things."

"I noticed. And yeah, Caleb was always a softie for the pack, but he was still stern. Hunter is more of a… do it now and then change his mind later. He took on after my father. Caleb took on after my mom."

Elsa took out some papers from her backpack and started writing things down. We continued chatting though. About three hours into the trip we stopped at a Chick-fil-a for something to eat. I ate while I drove. We'd only driven about two miles before I finally asked my passenger, "How can you have such nice handwriting while writing in a car? That's not normal."

Elsa gave me a mischievous smirk. "I'm good at doing things in the car."

I choked on the chicken nugget I was eating. She laughed as she patted me in the back. Once I regained my composure, I told her, "I'd like to see what else you're referring to."

"Suddenly you're so interested in me," Elsa said playfully.

"I've always been interested," I replied. A smile formed itself on her face as she leaned her head back on the headrest. "Are you tired?"

"Yeah. I didn't sleep at all last night. Between packing everything and doing some work, I got maybe one or two hours."

"Take a nap," I suggested.

"But I want to stay awake to keep you awake," she said.

"I'm fine Elsa. Get some sleep," I insisted. She nodded, reclining her seat back. When I saw her shiver, I took off my jacket and placed it over her. She mumbled 'thank you' before falling asleep. Elsa slept the entire way there. Naturally, her phone rang an hour into her nap. Carefully I picked it up and answered. It was Mrs. Laroche checking in on Elsa. She didn't like that I picked up but I guess she trusted my word because she hung up, letting her daughter sleep some more.

When we were about an hour away from our destination, I felt the sleepiness hitting me. I turned on the radio in hopes that it'd keep me up. Incredibly it worked, but only barely. Elsa never stirred until I pulled up at our destination. It was a hotel in the middle of nowhere but all the cars parked outside of it were extremely nice. Ours fit right in.

Groggily, the two of us got out. Grabbing our stuff from the car, and Elsa her suitcases from her parents, we entered the hotel. Only two people were in the building: a woman and a man.

The girl had chocolate brown hair and striking amber eyes. For some reason, she reminded me a lot of Ren, if not just for the expression on her face: teasing yet fierce. Only now did it hit me that not only Adne and Ren were siblings, but that Caleb and Adne were related too. I guess I'd been so distraught over what had happened to my family last summer that I hadn't put two and two together.

The man standing next to Adne I knew. It was Connor Laroche, husband of Adne Laroche and brother-in-law of Ren Laroche.

"Hey little sis," Ren greeted, giving the girl a hug.

"Hey big bro," Adne replied. "Got the whole pack here?"

"And another," he told her in distaste.

"Lily, Spencer, and Stark," she greeted. "Nice to see you again. You all look well. How are you doing?"

"We're doing well, thank you," Lily responded in friendly tone.

"We should probably stop dillydallying and get to the Academy. Hang on," Adne said. She pulled out her weaving tool (I always forget what it's called) and wove a portal. Those things were weird to go through, especially as a Guardian. It was as if the magic surrounding it didn't like… _things _like us going through it.

"All right, alphas first," Connor said. Lily entered the portal first followed by Caleb. Ren and Arya went next, then Hunter and Josilyn. "Betas next."

I let Noah go first. I was about to head in after him when Connor said, "Elsa, why aren't you going?"

"I was made the omega after I broke some rules…" she admitted quietly.

"Damn, what rules did you break?"

"According to my parents, treason."

"How are you still alive?" Connor inquired. Elsa shrugged. "You'll get your position back."

"Spencer, you going?" Adne queried. I hesitated before walking through the portal, but not before looking back over my shoulder at Elsa. I hated seeing her like this, beaten down into a position she didn't belong in and seeing that spark in her gone. I really wanted to give Ren and Arya a piece of my mind but I knew that would only make matters worse. Besides, Elsa would want to handle this herself.

One by one, the rest of the pack came through. Elsa was dead last. Only Adne and Connor came after her. The former closed the portal before leading us to a dining hall. A man sat at the head of the table. A girl, much younger than him, sat next to him. At the sight of us, he stood up, a kind smile on his face.

"Laroche Pack, Stark pack, welcome to the Academy. It's a pleasure to have you back," the man said.

"Sir, I thought you were asleep," Adne remarked.

"I couldn't resist meeting our guests. It's been a long time since I've seen them. The adults know me, so no need for introductions there, but the kids, I dare say they do not know me and vice versa."

Hunter stepped forward. "I'm Hunter Laroche, future alpha of the pack. This is my mate, Josilyn McKay. Next to her is her brother Noah, my beta. Next to Josilyn is my younger sister Ember." Hunter continued down the ranks of his pack until he reached the last member. "The last one is Elsa, my youngest sister. She is the omega of the pack. What is your name sir?"

"My name is Babatunde, but you may call be Baba. This is my daughter Braeden." Baba's eyes roamed over us. "As I said before, I know the adults, but I do not know the kids. Well, not most. Stark, you're still hiding?" Caleb nodded. Even in wolf form, his expression said that Baba's question had been a rather stupid one. However the Searcher leader merely smiled. "Kids, I would like to speak to each of you individually. As I said, I already know your parents, but I do not know you. I'll start with the ladies, Lily then Josilyn. Then I'll talk to Stark and Hunter. The rest of you I will get to in the next few days. Lily, stay here. Everyone else, Braeden will show you to your rooms. You will each have your own rooms. We've expanded quite a bit on our guest wing. We've also made sure you're far away from the Pyralis wing. I remember Guardians did not react well to what was being concocted in there last time."

"I was constipated for a week because of those 'concoctions'," Rigg muttered.

"Speak for yourself. You didn't have a rash on your ass," Derek said.

"Noah, I think you should head that way," Elsa said. He glowered at her as Ren barked, "Elsa! Quiet!"

She hung her head, but I could see the small smile of satisfaction on her face.

We followed Braeden out of the dining hall and to our rooms. My room, while small, still had space for everything I brought. Lily and Caleb's room was on my right. Elsa's room was on my left.

"There's phones in all of them. You can't call outside the Academy with them. They're for calls inside the Academy only. Call for anything you need. There's a list of numbers of everyone in the Academy on an iPad in the drawer. Add your names into your respective rooms on there. That way we can contact you rather than having to walk all the way up here every time. We'll delete them when you leave. Any questions?"

"Yes, where's your garden?" Josilyn queried.

"For those of you interested, follow me." Braeden walked off with almost all of the kids following her. Elsa started forward but stopped. She turned back around and entered her room. Ren and Arya glanced at each other.

"May I ask you two something?" I said, finally unable to hold it in.

"What," Ren replied shortly.

"You punished her for hanging out with me and my pack right? Called it treason? I know you don't like this, but your pack and mine, we're allies right now. It's not right for you to keep punishing her for something that isn't considered treason anymore."

Ren stepped so close to me I was forced to lean back. We were the same height but his aura was pulsing with anger. "Never tell me how to run my pack again. I'm doing this because it's the only way I can keep her safe. You could've gotten her killed, letting her sneak out to see you. I already lost two kids, I'm not losing a third."

"She was sneaking out for months and nothing happened to her. You should start giving her credit where credit is due," I said.

Ren grabbed the lapels of my jacket. "Stay away from my daughter."

I knew I should keep my mouth shut, but unfortunately, my common sense seemed to have stopped working. "You know I offered her a position in my pack? She'd automatically be beta to Stark. He adores her. He thinks she's wonderful. He _appreciates_ the qualities in her that you're punishing her for. She told me about how you don't trust her anymore. Hell, you probably questioned where her loyalties lie after the whole situation, so let me tell you: despite everything you've done to her, despite taking away everything she cares for, she's still staying with you. _That's_ loyalty. But she has her limits of how much she can stand. Elsa wants to fight and if you keep her under lock and key, she'll get fed up and take matters into her own hands. She won't tell anyone what she's doing because she feels like she has no one right now. Lone wolves don't survive. Keeping her in this position she's in is going to get her killed faster than if you give her the beta position back."

"I knew it was a mistake letting you live," Ren growled. His canines sharpened as his hand found my throat. He slammed me into the wall.

"Let him go," Arya ordered. Her husband faced her with an alarmed look. "I said let him go. Whether we like it or not, he and his pack are our allies. We cannot attack our allies, no matter how much we think it is warranted."

Reluctantly, her husband listened to her, roughly letting me go. Arya's gaze bore into me. "As for you Mr. Barnes, we took a lot away from our daughter, yes, but there's one thing we didn't, and that was you. If we didn't want her near you, trust me, you two would be seeing nothing of each other. You dare try and lecture us on this matter again, I _will_ take you away from her. Then she will have absolutely nothing. I know the last thing you want to do is hurt her, so heed my words. Good night."

With one last snarl in my direction, Ren went down the hall to his room with Arya.

"You could've gotten killed," Josilyn said softly behind me. I turned around.

"She's worth it. I know I'm better to her alive, but still…"

"You really care for her, don't you?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Why don't you two date then?"

"It won't work out between us. Once we're finished with this war, I'm going back up to Canada. She's staying with you."

"Maybe she'd go with you. All the kids know she hates staying with us right now. I don't want to lose my best friend but if it meant she'd be happy, then I'll be okay."

"You don't have to worry about losing your best friend. I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast."

* * *

**Elsa**

There were more perks to living in the Academy than I realized when I first got here. Breakfast was from six to eleven, meaning I could go whenever I want. I managed to avoid my family all three days we'd been there. Then I'd go into my room, open my window, and let the gentle sea breeze enter my room. I'd never been to Mexico before, and I wasn't allowed to leave the Academy unlike my pack to check it out, so I contented myself with looking out over the ocean and working on my computer. Mom and dad would always come in and check on me but I kept my replies to their questions short and simple. I hadn't forgiven them yet. It'd take a while before I could.

I was working on brochures to send out to potential clients for the hotel when someone knocked on my door. Assuming it was my parents, I ignored it because I knew they'd come in by themselves. However, when the person knocked again, I called out, "Come in!"

The door opened, revealing Babatunde. The man smiled kindly at me as he shut the door. "Hello Miss Elsa. How are you?"

"I'm well, sir. How are you?"

"Looking forward to talking to you. I've heard quite a few things."

"I'm sure not all of it was good considering everything that's happened the past few days."

"Torn between being loyal to one brother over the other is quite difficult. I'm amazed you pulled it off for as long as you did. Caleb has told me everything. While I do not necessarily agree with how your brother is handling things, I do see where he is coming from. What are you doing in here? Your family is all outside on the beach. Surely you'd like to join them?" Babatunde queried, sitting at the foot of my bed. I liked the man. He seemed very caring and genuinely interested in all of us.

"They obviously haven't told you my predicament," I said.

"They told me you were the omega. They did not tell me why. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were no omega. You don't carry yourself like one. What were you before?"

"I was Josilyn's beta. She's not necessarily alpha material. She can't kill animals, she can't keep up with us easily, she has a heart issue… I'd be more alpha than her. Or I would've been…"

"I have a feeling this is a long story. Let's take a walk through the garden."

"I'm on house arrest. I can't leave the room."

"This entire Academy is my house, and since you're staying here, this entire place is your house too, therefore you would not be breaking your house arrest rules, now would you?"

I smiled. "I guess I wouldn't."

Babatunde led me to the garden before inquiring, "So what happened?"

"It started with Spencer. We became really good friends through dance. His job was to keep an eye on me. Caleb was always protective of me but he still allowed me freedom unlike some other alphas I know," I said bitterly. "Anyways, then I met Lily when she was hanging out with Spencer. I slipped my phone in her jacket pocket and used that to track her down. I discovered her and Caleb and Spencer's hideout. I snuck out to see them almost every night, except when I had patrols. Then some of my packmates caught me and Spencer in a lie and Lily made up the lie that the reason the two of us were lying was because we were actually dating so then Spencer and I had to pretend we were dating in front of part the pack and then pretend we weren't in front of the rest of the pack. When I was caught, I lied to my parents about the reason I was hanging out with Spencer's pack. I told them that Lily, Stark, and Spencer were letting me get closer to the Hunters than they ever did."

"But the truth?"

"The truth is that I was protecting my brother. He never wanted to be found after he ran away from home, and when I found him he said he didn't want them knowing he was there. I got scared that if I said anything, I'd lose my brother again and I didn't want that to happen. He was my best friend after Anna died, and when he left, I don't know. I just had a hard time feeling like I fit in with my pack. I felt like a lone wolf. I still do."

"Who was Anna?"

"Anna was my identical twin. She was murdered by Hunters when I was nine. She'd been sick and Caleb had to stay home to work on a school project while the rest of us when on a hunt. I knew what had happened to Anna before anyone told me. I felt her pain when the Hunters killed her. I think that's because we were more connected being twins and all. Caleb, even though he was having trouble of his own after it since he was the one who was home too when it all happened and had nearly died himself, he helped me get through the year after her death. I was a wreck. But I learned how to defend myself, I learned how to attack as a human if I ever needed to. I was a fast learner. I'm a mixed martial artist now. I wanted to know how to fight if the Hunters ever came back."

"To defend yourself and your pack?"

"That was one half of it."

"What's the other half?"

"I wanted to be able to kill them. I searched relentlessly for the people who had killed my sister. I tried finding the Hunters' hideouts for years but had no luck. My parents never told me anything about it so that's why I took it into my own hands."

"You're very determined, aren't you?" Babatuned remarked, leading us over to a bench in front of a gorgeous fountain.

"Only when I want something."

"What is it you want now?"

"I want to be beta again," I confessed. "But that won't happen. My parents don't trust me, my pack doesn't trust me, I can't talk to any of them, none but my family can talk to me… and I've never felt more alone in my life. I love Caleb but I haven't seen him in eight or nine years and he's changed so much that it feels like I'm meeting a stranger. Lily and I are courteous to each other and friendly, but nothing more. Spencer, I had the biggest crush on him when I met him, but he told me he didn't like me in the same way, that he'd led me on so he could get information out of me to tell to Caleb. I wanted to hate him for that but I knew too much about his past to do so. We were too much alike and he was still a good friend in the end. He was listening to his alpha so I can't blame him for doing it, I just wish he hadn't used that method."

"You are not as alone as you think. Your packmates, your generation at least, most of them believe you. They're on your side. They just have had no way of telling that to you because of your punishment. That is until now. Riley, Barry, Thea, Diana, even quiet Akira all said they believed you about Caleb's pack, that they weren't bad people."

"They're not bad people. I'm glad some of my packmates believe me, but it's not them who I need to convince. It was my parents, and now they don't believe a word I say. If I put another toe out of line, I'll be kicked from the pack."

"Then you would join Caleb's, wouldn't you?"

I shrugged. "I thought about it. But those three, they've known each other for so long that again, I'd feel like the odd man out. I'm the odd man out in my pack and I'd be the odd man out in Caleb's. Sometimes, more often recently, I've wondered if I should just say screw it and become my own alpha, be a lone wolf, travel the world. It's easier to find a wolf pack than a single wolf. May I ask you something?"

"Of course, dear," Babatunde replied.

"Why are you interested in all of us? I mean, I understand you've never met us but to have individual conversations with each of us? It doesn't make sense. It's like you're analyzing us or something."

He smiled. "You're very clever, much like your mother. You're exactly right. I am analyzing you. I want to see where best to put you when it's time for battle. Your parents and their seconds are most certainly Strikers along with your brothers, Spencer, Lily, Noah, Dean, Sam, Reyna, Dmitri, Riley, Thea, Rigg, Erin, and Derek. They are the people who go in headfirst into the battle. Ember, Diana, Gracie, Jake, Oliver, Carrie, Casey, Nancy, and Frank are all Defenders. They stay behind the Strikers to take care of any enemies that might've slipped through and are trying to break through our ranks to capture our Weavers. Then, there's the Sweepers which is our last line of defense. They protect the Weavers and take care of any enemy stragglers. They would consist of Akira, Laurel, Barry, Sebastian, Taki, and Melinda. They're probably the weaker ones in your pack."

"Where is Josilyn in this?"

"She will not be fighting in any battles. She will stay here and help with any injuries when the battle is over. She cannot fight and her heart condition would put her in danger. I will not risk putting her in."

"What about me?"

"I want you as a Striker, but your parents would have to agree to it. You are in their pack after all."

"They'd say no," I mumbled. "Dad is too overprotective of me. Mom might let me fight but not dad."

"I will talk to him. The battle will not be here for some time so you have time to earn their trust back. I do sense you have a lot of pent up frustration. Am I correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Then let me introduce you to someone I think you will thoroughly enjoy meeting. You can train with him as a human, either hand to hand combat or with weapons. Your choice. Come, let me introduce you to him." Babatunde stood up. We walked out of the garden, down a few hallways, and into a massive training room. There were smaller, more private rooms to the side, but he simply led me straight across the room. I received a lot of stares as I walked past people. I avoided looking at them but I felt antsy. I wanted to get out of there.

"Jason!" Babatunde called out. A man with grey hair and ice blue eyes looked up.

"Hello, sir. Miss," Jason said, nodding his head at me.

"Jason, this is Elsa Laroche. Elsa, this is Jason Argent. He's one of our top hand to hand combat trainers and the top weapons trainer," Baba explained. "Jason, Elsa has some anger she needs to let out. I think some training would be a good way to do that."

"Yes, sir. Elsa, why don't you go put some boxing gloves on and we'll get started," Jason said. I walked away to the bin where the gloves were. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Baba lean in and using my enhanced hearing, I listened in on what he said.

"She knows a lot but train her in everything. I want her as a Striker," Baba whispered.

"What's so special about her?" Jason answered.

"Her determination and her fury. There is no power stronger than a woman out for blood. Keep me up to date on her progress. Get her on the obstacle course soon too."

I smiled, knowing at least someone had faith in me, knowing at least someone believed me. And Baba was right about my fury, about my bloodlust. I wanted these Hunters dead for what they'd done to Anna and my pack. I was a woman out for blood, just like he'd said. And sure, the men in our pack fight great, but it was us women who are the great fighters. Jason was about to find out how great of a fighter a Laroche woman was.

* * *

**Long chapter so I hope you enjoyed!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**If you stick me again, I'm going to make your head my personal pin cushion."  
****~Calla Tor, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

**Chapter 26**

**Hunter**

I sat on the warm sand watching my pack mates frolic on the beach: some in the sand, some in the water. Thea, Gracie, Diana, and Ember were playing volleyball. Riley and Dmitri were slowly covering up a sleeping Sebastian and a sleeping Noah with sand. Laurel, Akira, Jake, and Barry were swimming in the water, splashing each other and dunking each other underwater. Josilyn was stretched out on a towel next to me, reading a book.

I stretched out next to her, propping myself up on my elbows. She looked over and smiled at me. "Hi handsome."

"Hey beautiful. What are you reading?"

"Sense and Sensibility."

"How can you read books like that? They seem so boring with all that old language and stuff."

"They're actually very good as long you understand what's being said. Hey, can I… talk to you about something?" She queried, sitting up.

"Is everything okay?" I replied.

She twisted the ring I gave her around her finger. "Yeah, I've just been thinking… about our future."

"What about it?"

"I'm your mate, and we're supposed to keep the Laroche heritage going. Our kids are supposed to be alphas. But I'm scared that because of my health that I won't…" Josilyn trailed, unable to look me in the eye.

"That you won't be able to what?" I prodded, sitting up and taking her hands in mine.

"That I won't be able to have kids. I mean, I'm _tiny_ compared to the other girls in the pack Hunter. I don't know if my body could handle being pregnant, or my heart for that matter. You deserve someone better than me. You deserve someone who can give you children without you having to worry about whether or not they're going to die during the pregnancy."

"Josilyn, I think you're overreacting," I said calmly.

"I'm not overreacting! I'm being very logical! I'm not alpha material and everyone here knows it! I can't kill things, I can't hunt, I can't run as fast as any of you, I get winded going up the stairs… I was supposed to have a beta who could make some of those alpha decisions for me because if it came to the point where I would have to put the pack in a position that could get them killed, I couldn't do it. I couldn't send the pack to their possible deaths. That was what my beta was supposed to be for and now she's not allowed to be and I don't think Ember wants to be a beta, Thea is too rash, Laurel and Akira are too quiet, I'm not that close with Diana, Gracie is too mellow and passive, and I don't want it to be any of the guys. I want it to be a girl. I don't know what to do Hunter."

"You need to stop putting yourself down for one thing. Second, Elsa will get her position back sooner or later. Third, this stuff about me needing a stronger mate is bullshit. I don't need a strong mate. I need you."

"Are you even listening to me? I might not be able to give you children and it could kill me in the process!" Josilyn insister. "You deserve someone stronger, someone who can keep up with you."

My girlfriend stood up, shoving her book into her bag. I got up, asking, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to my room. I'm hot, sweaty, and thirsty. I'll… I'll see you at dinner."

"Josilyn come on," I said. "You're overthinking things when you don't need to."

"No I'm not Hunter. I don't want to argue with you. I'm going inside." Josilyn strode into the Academy, leaving me very frustrated. I plopped back down on my towel and tried to fathom what had brought all this on but nothing came to me.

"Girlfriend issues?" a girl questioned. I turned around to find Lily leaning against the palm tree behind me.

"What do you want?" I muttered, facing back towards the ocean.

Lily sat next to me. "I just passed a very red-faced Josilyn and I don't think it's because she was sunburnt."

"Are you seriously trying to give me relationship advice?"

"No, I'm offering an ear."

"Why?"

"Because I'm nice like that."

"You and I, we're not friends. I'm not telling you anything."

"You don't have to be friends to talk to you other people. I've had countless of people come up to me and tell me their life story. Some people are to be trusted. But, considering your mate probably isn't speaking to you, Ember isn't close enough to Josilyn to really help out, Noah would take his sister's side, your little sister is barely speaking to you, and while you trust your pack, you don't want to entrust them with your relationship problems, and you want to kill Spencer and Stark, and probably me too, I'm still your best bet because the difference between me and my pack is that I'm actually offering to be friendly to you."

"You're very blunt, aren't you?" I remarked, casting her a sidelong glance.

"So I've heard. But you know what I said is true, and you can pretty much figure out where I got it from. Don't be mad. She told us about all of you. You're her loving, stern yet fun, slightly goofy, overprotective brother who takes on after his dad almost completely. Ember is the sassy, classy, middle child who resembles her father but has a very level temperament like her mother. There's Josilyn, the sweet, caring, kind, gentle, innocent future alpha who has a heart problem that prevents her from being able to do all the things you can but you all love her regardless. You all protect her. She also has a temperament as far away from her father's as possible. Noah, the big, burly, snarky, admittedly handsome beta who is usually an asshole to anyone but you and Josilyn and Ember. I could go on and on but I won't or else we'll be here all day and while I do actually have all day, there are some things I'd like to do. Now, what's bothering you Laroche? Don't make me go ask Josilyn."

I sighed. "Why do you want to know?"

"Why are you being so stubborn about this? Is this how you treat all people who try to be friendly to you?" she countered.

"Only to people who let my sister get in harm's way."

"Elsa is not Anna. She's older, stronger, and wiser than the Anna was when she died. Elsa put herself in danger. Believe me, Stark hated her coming to see us but he couldn't stop her. He's not her alpha. He could've been, but he's not. We offered Elsa a place in the pack when we heard about the punishment she received. She wouldn't take it. She said she belonged with you guys. But Hunter, this isn't about Elsa. This is about you and Josilyn. So spill."

"She's overthinking everything and she's saying things that are ludicrous. No matter what I say, she doesn't believe a word of it."

"So she's being irrational?"

"Yes. Completely."

"All you can do is let them work it out on their own if you can't convince them to listen to your logical answers."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"Stark has a lot of issues, mostly stemming from his childhood. One event was traumatic, another just sent him over the edge. My family and I helped him get rid of the guilt and Spencer's dad and mom trained him to be the alpha he was. Needless to say he fit the role perfectly. But I get having irrational partners."

"Why won't he shift? Are you into like… interspecies marriages or something?"

Lily glared at me. "No, he just doesn't like being human. You can hide better as a wolf and let's just say he doesn't want to be found by some people."

"But Elsa knows what he looks like?"

"Yes. She barged in when he was human. There was no point in hiding from her after that."

"You do know that if you and Stark and Spencer had come to us, asking permission to stay in our territory, we would've said yes, right?"

"We didn't know we'd stick around that long. We planned only to be there a week or two at most. That turned into two months, then four, and so on. We stayed partly because Spencer was so happy. The Hunters blew up our house, similar to what they did to half your pack twenty-something years ago. It killed Spencer's parents and his girlfriend. He'd just found out they were his real parents. They gave him to the Searcher's until they could take care of him financially on their own. But whenever they planned to tell him who they were, they stopped because he didn't like his birthparents because he thought they simply didn't want him. Michael and Elaine wanted Spencer to love them for who he thought they were rather than who they really were. He was heading back to the house with Stark to talk to them when the house exploded. I was in town. Connor took us in until we decided where to go next. That was Estes."

"I'm sorry," I said sincerely.

"Thank you. We stayed for the Hunters and we stayed for Spencer, but not necessarily in that order. He found someone with a kindred spirit. Despite your objections to their relationship, they've been good for each other. Would you like me to try and speak to Josilyn? Maybe a third party is what you need," Lily offered.

I shook my head. "Thank you but no. She doesn't trust you or Stark or Spencer. I'll speak to her later when she's calmed down. "

"You're welcome. Maybe from now on, we can at least talk as indifferent acquaintances. It would be beneficial for our packs to be getting along."

"We can meet as indifferent acquaintances," I agreed.

"Good. I should head back inside, make sure Stark is actually doing work and not sleeping. I'll see you at dinner." Lily got up and went back inside the Academy. I scooted back so I could lean against a palm tree.

A few moment passed before Elsa walked past me. She had a beach bag and a bathing suit on. I wasn't going to stop her from getting some sun. If my parents found out she was out here, I'd lie and say I told her she could come out. But that didn't need to happen. My mom came up behind me and said, "Make sure she socializes with the pack."

"She doesn't want to though," I pointed out as we watched her lay a towel down well away from the rest of the pack.

"Make her."

"Why?"

"Someone made a good point that we've made Elsa feel isolated. She's a part of this pack and omega or not, she needs to know that."

"Yes mom."

"Are you okay sweetie?"

"Yeah, just thinking."

"All right, see you at dinner."

Mom left the premises. I got up and headed over to where Riley, Dmitri, and now Barry, were burying Noah and Sebastian.

"What are you three doing?" I whispered, not wanting to wake up my second or Sebastian.

"Pranking them. They sure are heavy sleepers," Riley said with a grin.

"Works to our advantage," Dmitri remarked. "So let's not question it."

"We should get more help," Barry said.

"You go get as much as you can. I'll fill in for you," I offered.

"Even Elsa?"

"Even her. Just tell her she can get some revenge on Noah. That should get her over here."

Barry grinned and dashed off. He went to the closet pack members first. All of them came over to help. He then went to Elsa, kneeling down to her. I could tell she was hesitant to join but she gave in. I recognized her signature nervous posture: arms crossed tightly against her chest. Barry had his arm wrapped around her shoulders. He was smiling cheerfully as he led her over to us.

"All right, we need some sculptors, some people to find shells and rocks, someone who will film this, and four water pourers," Riley said quietly. "Who wants to do what?"

"I'll film," I said. "I personally volunteer Ember and Elsa to pour water on Noah."

"I call pouring water on Sebastian," Laurel said, raising her hand. Dmitiri counted himself in. Gracie, Oliver, Diana, and Thea offered to sculpt the sand into the shape of a mermaid tale. Jake, Barry, and Akira offered to go search for the shells and rocks.

Within ten minutes, everything was ready. How Noah and Sebastian hadn't woken up, I don't know. I hit the record button and backed up so I could have a clear path of escape when Noah went after everyone who did this to him.

"Okay, show's about to begin in three… two… one!" Riley threw down his hand, cueing the water pourers to dump their buckets on the unsuspecting victims. Ember went straight for Noah's face. Elsa poured it on his stomach. Poor Sebastian got it all in the face. They woke up yelling and trying to flail about but the compacted sand kept their legs in place.

"What the hell?!" Noah demanded. We were all dying of laughter.

"Sorry sweetie," Ember said. "It was irresistible."

My second kicked off the sand and threw Ember over his shoulder. She let out a scream as he carried her towards the water. Sebastian got a glint in his eye that said both Laurel and Dmitri were about to get soaked. Sebastian grabbed the bucket from Laurel and ran to the ocean. Laurel and Dmitri both bolted away from their brother but he had no trouble catching up to them. One by one, the entire pack was in the water, some willingly entering it, some being carried and thrown unceremoniously into the sea. Elsa and I were the only ones still standing on the beach. Deciding my sister wasn't going to get out of this, I picked her up from behind and ran into the ocean with her. She was yelling at me to put her down but I heard the laughter in her voice. I chucked her into the water. She surfaced a few seconds later, splashing me.

"Jerk!" she laughed.

"So I've heard," I said with a grin. We all stayed in the water for little while longer before the sun started to set over the horizon. I went inside and took a shower. Dinner wouldn't be ready for another hour so I decided to go into the garden to see if Josilyn was there. When I realized she wasn't, I sat down on the rocking bench in front of the fountain, swinging it back and forth.

"Mind if I join you?"

I looked up to see Elsa standing next to the bench, her hands clasped behind her back. I sat up straighter, amazed she was talking to me on her own terms. "Yeah, of course. How are you doing?"

"You've asked me enough how I'm doing. It's about time I ask how you're doing. I've been a crappy sister lately to put it nicely," Elsa said shyly. "I apologize for that. I was mad at myself for allowing myself to get caught. I was mad at mom and dad for removing my beta position. Since you were the one who kept coming to me, I took my anger out on you and I'm sorry Hunter. I'm really sorry. You were only following the orders of your alphas. You had no choice. You might be the future alpha, but you're not supreme alpha yet. Do you forgive me?"

"Of course I do. I'm sorry for your punishment. I didn't know it was going to be that bad."

She shrugged. "Like I said, you had no choice. Now what's up? Something's bothering you."

"Josilyn and I are fighting. She's being irrational about things and I can't convince her otherwise."

"What is she saying?"

"That she's too weak for me, that I deserve someone stronger, that she might not be able to get pregnant, that she could die in the pregnancy, that I deserve someone who can give me kids or something. I don't care if we can't have kids. I just want to be with her. I don't understand why she can't accept that."

"Have you told her all that though? That you don't care if she can't have kids? That you just want to be with her?"

"No, but I don't know what good it'd do. It's like she's determined to break us up or something."

"Josilyn loves you Hunter. She's trying to think of what she thinks is best for you, even if it isn't. Her heart is in the right place when she's saying these things. Say to her what you said to me, how you don't care about having kids and that you just want to be with her. If that doesn't get through to her, I'll talk to her for you."

"You don't have to help her. You have enough problems on your plate as it is."

"I think it's quite clear that I suck at solving my own problems. I'm better at solving other people's problems. If you need my help, just let me know."

"I will. Thank you Elsa."

"No problem. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go apologize to Ember. I've been a crappy sister to her too."

"I'll walk with you. Her room is on the way to Josilyn's and I think I need to speak to my girlfriend." I wrapped my arm around my sister's shoulders as we walked down the hallway. We were passing the main entrance to the Academy when I saw a bunch of people, including our pack, gathered at the front. Elsa and I made our way down, pushing our way to the front where our parents were.

At the center of attention was a tall male with jet black hair and intelligent green eyes. His eyes settled onto Elsa the instant she appeared. I stood in front of her protectively. The guy looked at me, a hint of amusement on his face, but he said nothing.

"Who are you?" Braeden demanded, stepping up to the man.

He smiled. "My name is Dominic Stone. I'm here to help in the fight against the Hunters."

* * *

**Reviews please :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Since SACarter FINALLY updated my favorite story of hers, I'm updating this one at her request (although why I only get one chapter and she gets a video and a chapter is beyond me. I'm just a great friend I guess- YOU OWE ME SACARTER AND YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT). Okay, rant over. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**The relationship of a girl and her favorite novel can be complex indeed."  
****~Shay Doran**

* * *

Chapter 27

**Elsa**

Dom wouldn't stop staring at me and it was creeping me out. I felt someone's hand slip through mine. It was Josilyn. I smiled at her, silently thanking her for picking up on my discomfort. It wasn't that I thought Dom's stare was sinister, it felt more like he knew something I didn't. That irked me to no end. I liked knowing things.

"Why are you here Dominic Stone?" Braeden demanded.

"Please, call me Dom. And so all of you know, I'm here to fight for your cause. I know about who you are and what they are," he replied. Hunter let out a growl. "No offense meant Cujo. But seriously, I know about the Searchers, I know about the Hunters, and I know about Guardians. Wolves aren't the only kinds. There's bears, panthers, and those fire wolves but aren't they just fire wolves? Not people?"

"How do you know about the Lyulfs?" Ren snarled.

"I did my history homework."

"How did you find out about us?" Arya asked, staring him down. My mom was my height, five foot eight, and easily a head shorter than most of the guys here, including Dom who was well over a head taller than her. However, her attitude made her seem like she was the same height as Dom, on equal footing. If those two got in a fight, I'd be betting on my mom.

"A Guardian, a wolf, saved me. They never explained anything to me so I started doing research on my own. Had a hell of a time finding information about you. But the stuff I did find, a lot of it talked about the Nightshade, Bane, and Lightwood pack. Ren Laroche, you were the leader of the Bane pack, or should I say alpha? Arya Laroche, formerly Arya Lightwood, as your maiden name proves, you were alpha of the Lightwood pack. Then Calla Tor was alpha of the Nightshade pack. She married Shay Doran, Arya saved your life Ren, and now you two run the biggest pack in the country, possibly the world. Very impressive."

"The information you found was only kept by Keepers, Searchers, and Hunters. Which one of them did you gather your information from?"

"I knew the girl who had saved me. I looked into her last name, found out about Ren, where he used to live, and travelled to Vail. There was this huge mansion. I learned it used to belong to that creepy evil guy, Bosque Mar."

"That place is owned by Searchers. We have people there constantly. How did you get in without being seen?" Braeden queried.

"I was learned early on in life how to sneak around and not be caught. Your comrades certainly were a challenge but nothing I couldn't handle."

"I know you," Spencer suddenly spoke up. Everyone, including me, turned around to look at him. His gaze remained on Dom. "You're the one who saved Ren that night he was attacked at the South Compound."

"Technically, I think you're the one who saved him considering you're the one who actually got him out of there," Dom remarked. "I was just covering your back. Besides, doesn't hurt to get on your girlfriend's dad's good side."

"She's not my girlfriend," Spencer said quickly while I simultaneously said, "I'm not his girlfriend."

"Right, and I have blonde hair," Dom replied. I glowered at him.

"How did you know where I was that night?" My dad inquired, taking a step towards Dom.

"I've been following your family. I found out the Hunters were after you and I wanted to keep you and your family safe until I could figure out where the Searchers were so I could join their fight."

"You couldn't keep an eye on all of us at the same time," my mom pointed out.

"No, I couldn't, so I learned about your pack from afar. It wasn't hard to tell who was who and who was what ranking. I followed you Laroches the most. You seemed to be the ones who got into the most trouble, particularly Ren and… is it Elsa? You're Josilyn's beta."

"You got my name right, but you have my position wrong," I answered tersely. For some reason, I felt Dom was hiding something from us. I couldn't figure out what, and until I did, I was not going to trust him whatsoever.

"You sure act like a beta."

"My position was revoked. I'm an omega now."

"So people give you orders? Everyone in the pack can right?"

"They can. Most don't. I'm grateful for that."

"You have a lot of pent up rage, don't you? And not just at your family. My guess is that's because of Anna?"

"How do you know about her?" I asked furiously.

Dom gave me a sad smile. "I read about it in an article online. I'm very sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what it's like to lose a sibling, let alone a twin."

"Enough. You will meet my father and he will determine whether you are to be trusted. Come with me," Braeden ordered. Dominic nodded to me and my parents and followed her. We all watched him go.

"That guy gives me a bad feeling. Anyone else feel like he was hiding something?" Dmitri asked casually.

"Keep a close eye on him. Do not trust him and do not tell him anything about yourselves. Until we know more about him, stay quiet and alert," my mom warned. They left with most of the pack trailing behind them. Josilyn started to go with them but I pulled her back.

"Can I talk to you?" I whispered so Hunter wouldn't hear me. I know he wanted to handle this by himself but I wanted to help my brother and since Josie was my best friend, I knew how to get her to listen to me.

"Of course. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine. I wanted to know how you were doing. Hunter told me about the argument between you two."

"Oh, that… yeah, I'm okay." Josilyn said, starting to walk away. I followed her.

"I'm not dumb, Josie. I know I've been distant but I can still sense when you're upset about something. Tell me your side of the story. How about we walk on the beach while we do it?"

Reluctantly my friend agreed. We took a stroll down the beach, staying away from the water because we didn't feel like getting our feet wet and since the sun was starting to set, the sand was cooling off and it felt good on our feet. I saw the rest of our pack wading onto the beach with some food. Either they'd snuck it out of the kitchen because they couldn't wait for dinner or they were having dinner on the beach. Even Caleb, Lily, and Spencer came out. They walked a good way from my pack. In fact they walked extremely close to me and Josilyn but they didn't see us. I could see the anxiety on Caleb's face that he might be recognized by my pack but I doubt they would recognize him. It'd been eight or nine years since they'd last seen him. I barely recognized Caleb when I saw him and he was my brother. He had nothing to worry about.

"I don't know what to do Elsa," Josilyn sighed, sitting on a rock and burying her head in her hands. "Hunter deserves someone so much better than me."

"That's the problem. I'm pretty sure no one else in the world is as good as you. Josilyn, you are sweet, kind, and caring, and it takes a special person to be able to get through to my brother like you do. I'm not sure how he can deserve better when you are the best person to be with him. And I'm not saying that to make you feel better. I'm saying it because it's true. Hunter doesn't care whether or not he has kids, he just wants to be with you."

"How do you know he doesn't want kids? Maybe he does and he's just lying." Josilyn sniffed, wiping a tear off her face. I placed my arm around her to comfort her.

"Because when he told me, I was listening to his heartbeat and it was steady as a beating drum."

"Did you just slip in a Disney metaphor?" she laughed weakly.

"Yes, and for the record it was a Disney simile," I joked. "But I'm serious, Hunter meant it when he said he just wanted to be with you, whether that meant children or no children. When you're ready, talk to him, but only when you're ready," I told her.

"Thank you Elsa. I needed to hear that," Josilyn said, leaning her head onto my shoulder. "I wish you were still my beta."

"I do too. I'm going to work on regaining my parents trust so maybe I'll be your beta again. And you know, once you become supreme alpha and all, maybe you can reinstate me then."

"I hope so. Now, how are you doing? You seem to be doing better after your punishment."

"It could be worse. I'm still on house arrest unless I'm with one of you guys but the entire Academy is my house right now so I go exploring at night. It's really cool. I love the library they have here. There's so much history in there. There's even stuff about our families."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There's one story of my dad when he went to this underground cave in Mexico to get Eydis for the Elemental Cross. There were four pieces: Haldis which was in Vail, Eydis which was in Mexico, Tordis which I think was in Switzerland or something, and Pyralis which was literally in a volcano surrounded by the fire wolves, or the Lyulfs."

"There's a lot of history with your dad, isn't there?"

"Yeah. He and Calla Tor were apparently 'destined' for each other, or so they thought. But in actuality, my dad was really meant to be with my mom. But when my dad's mom joined the Searchers, she met a guy there, Monroe. That was dad's dad. But the Keepers found out and had her killed. As punishment, they made it where Calla and my dad were meant to marry and sent my mom and her pack off to Estes Park. It's really complicated and cruel what they did. And then when Calla ran off with Shay to the Searcher's, she rescued her pack and my dad's and they joined with her, leaving him completely alone. He lost his first pack, joined my mom's, lost half of his pack twenty years ago… he almost lost my mom too. I get why he's so protective now. I thought I did before but not to the extent now, if that makes sense."

"You should talk to him, Elsa. Tell him what you just told me. Maybe that will make your relationship better," Josilyn remarked. I fell silent, thinking that maybe she was right.

"Hey, is it just me or-" Josilyn began but began coughing.

"Josie, you okay?" I asked. Her coughing only got worse as she shook her head. "Come on, we should head back."

I helped her up and away from the rock. We'd only taken a few steps when I began coughing.

"What is happening?" Josilyn choked out.

"Run!" I ordered. The two of us took off but we hadn't made it very far before Josilyn collapsed onto the sand. I tried to pick her up but whatever it was making us cough, it was becoming overwhelming for both of us. I fell to the ground, feeling like I was going to cough out my lungs. Looking around to find the culprit of the attack, I saw a white cloud coming towards us. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't friendly. I knew I only had the strength to get myself away from there but I refused to leave Josilyn. I threw my body over hers to make sure that whatever the substance was that was making us cough didn't get to her any more than it already was. Josilyn had to be protected.

* * *

**Caleb**

The strange sensation was the first thing that happened. It was a feeling of dread, of terror, and helplessness, but it wasn't _mine_. It was from someone I knew.

The second thing was the strange, thick, white smoke billowing towards Lily and Spencer's backs. Immediately I knew that it was not a normal occurrence in Mexico.

The third thing was I started to cough. It felt like I wouldn't be able to stop. I stood up, staring at the smoke coming towards us.

"Caleb, what is it?" Lily asked.

"Get up. Get up now," I ordered before falling into a coughing fit. My mate and second listened immediately. I turned around to look at my old pack. I had to warn them, whether it meant them figuring out my identity or not. I started pulling Lily and Spencer away. They didn't need me to. We were already starting to run. I shouted at the Laroche pack to run. They looked up in my direction. I shifted into a wolf before I was close enough for them to see.

"The water! Get to the water!" Lily yelled. The Laroche pack scrambled up from their picnic. Some stayed in human form, some shifted. Lily, Spencer, and I splashed into the water, swimming well away from the beach. The smoke stopped at the water so we were in no danger, but we had to continue treading the ocean until the smoke receded which was about ten minutes. Once it was gone, we swam back to shore, dragging from exhaustion.

"Where's Elsa?" Spencer asked. I shook my head and so did Lily.

"Hunter!" Spencer called out. My brother looked over at him, water dripping off his anger-ridden face. "Where's Elsa?!"

"She was with Josilyn!" Hunter called back.

"Where are they?!"

"They went…" he trailed. Panic flooded his face. He started running down the beach, yelling for Elsa and Josilyn. We all followed him down the beach. We came to a sliding stop. Hunter dropped down to his knees and picked something out of the sand.

"What is it?" Ember asked.

"Josilyn… her ring. The one I gave her. She's gone. They're both gone," Hunter said.

"Sebastian went down the beach to get them for dinner. He's not here. They have him too," Laurel cried.

"Elsa, Josilyn, and Sebastian, they're all gone," Ember breathed. "They're all gone."

* * *

**Well someone's in trouble. Sorry to SACarter for not knowing you were staying up late waiting for the chapter. The Secret Circle is very addicting and distracting.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Okay, since I kind of sort of forgot to tell SACarter I'm leaving the country for college soon, I'm posting a chapter for her.**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**He would risk everything to find his way back to my side and set me free. Because that's what love is, isn't it? It has to be."  
****~Calla Tor**

* * *

Chapter 28

**Josilyn**

I was the first to wake up. Sebastian was second. Elsa remained unconscious the longest. I had no idea where we were. Sebastian put his arm around me while I cradled my best friend in my arms, praying she'd wake up soon.

"What happened?" Sebastian whispered.

"I don't know. Last thing I remember was coughing and Elsa throwing herself on top of me. Then I woke up here," I replied.

"Where are we?"

"No idea. But it has to be Hunters. Who else would knock us out and kidnap us?"

"Are you two okay?" Elsa murmured, her eyes fluttering open.

"Oh thank god you're awake!" I exclaimed quietly.

"I'm gonna kill those Hunters," she muttered, slowly sitting up. She rubbed her head ruefully. She must've had a headache. "Do you know where we are?"

"One of their locations I guess. I have no idea. I haven't seen or heard anything. Do… do you think they just left us here to die?" I asked.

Elsa got up, peering through the bars of our cell. "No, they wanted us or one of us for a reason. They have the alpha's mate. I think Sebastian and I were just collateral damage. They wanted you or Lily."

"I guess I was an easier target, with my heart condition and all," I said dejectedly.

"Hey, you're dating my brother. You have to be strong for that," Elsa laughed. I gave her smile, appreciating her attempt to make me feel better and to bring a little humor into our situation.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Sebastian queried, getting up to look out of our cell with Elsa.

"The Hunters will want to interrogate one or all of us. Listen, if they do, I'll volunteer. I'm not letting either of you get hurt," Elsa said.

"But that's not fair! Since we all got captured, it's not fair that one person endures the torture alone," I remarked. I stood up but was instantly taken over by a dizzy spell. Instantly Elsa and Sebastian were at my side, holding me up. "Guess that thing the Hunters used on us is still affecting me."

"Which is one of the reasons why I don't want you being tortured. The first and foremost is that you are Hunter's mate and my best friend I cannot allow anything to happen to you," Elsa told me.

"What about me? I'm fit to be tortured," Sebastian said.

"No, you're the youngest of our pack and I'm going to make sure you two can escape. Josilyn is still hurt from that gas thing they used on us. She hasn't healed as fast as we have. You'll need to help her escape and you won't be able to do that if you've been tortured."

"What about you Elsa? You can't handle that much torture!" Sebastian argued.

"If it means that you two can escape safely, then yes, I can."

Sebastian and I fell silent, but we were both staring at Elsa, neither of us wanting her to do this alone. Suddenly we heard footsteps approaching our cell. Elsa and Sebastian quickly backed away from the door, standing protectively in front of me.

A man that seriously reminded me of the Hulk opened the cell. He grabbed Elsa and led her away with me and Sebastian screaming for her.

"Screaming won't do anything," a girl said. I tried to peer out of my cell but couldn't see anyone.

"Who are you?" Sebastian demanded.

"Someone who got on the Hunters' bad side in a really bad way. Trust me, I've tried screaming for them to let me out, for them to let go of the other Guardians, but they won't listen. It's futile."

"You're a Guardian? There are others here?"

"Yes I am, and the others, they're all this hall. Most of them are sleeping. That's really all you can do in here until they come out to torture you."

"Have you been tortured?"

"In other ways than the ones here. The Hunters know everything about me. They just keep me here from reaching my destination."

"What's your destination?"

"I'm not saying. The Hunters don't know my true goal and I'm going to keep it that way."

"What type of Guardian are you?" I asked.

"A wolf."

"What's your coat color?"

"White."

"Just like our friend. We're wolves too."

"I could tell by the way you talked to each other. Your omega doesn't seem very… omega-ish."

"She broke some rules. It was her punishment."

"Harsh. Well listen, I'm going to catch some shut eye. You should too. It'll be a while before your friend is back."

With that, the mystery Guardian fell silent. Sebastian and I curled up in the corner together as far away from the door as possible, and listened for when Elsa was coming back.

* * *

**Caleb**

The Laroche pack was in a state of panic. Everyone had their own way of showing their anxiety. Spencer's jaw kept having a tic in it. Hunter was pacing back and forth. Ember shook her leg up and down. Noah tapped his fingers on the table. My mom kept running her hands through her hair. My dad stood braced against the table. Rigg kept changing the position he was sitting in. Erin was biting her lip.

Babatunde stood at the head of the table as he announced. "We have located, with the help of our new guest Mr. Stone, the place where the Hunters are keeping Elsa, Josilyn, and Sebastian. According to Mr. Stone, this is in the middle of a Canadian forest. It's surrounded by a lot of trees and there's still snow on the ground. Laroches, Starks, we will have our Strikers enter the building first. We want to avoid any of you fighting since all of you are what the Hunters want. Therefore you remain in the forest. In case of an emergency, the Strikers will call on you to help. But otherwise, stay out of the fight. We cannot risk losing any of you."

"That's my pack in there," Ren countered. "Arya and I at least should be in the fight."

"No. Since you're the alphas, there's a price on your head so high I don't want to think about it. You stay with your packs. Starks, stay together. Laroche pack, separate into groups of seven. Encircle the camp. Stop anyone who tries to escape. Once we have them, we'll move the Academy to a new location for safety precautions. Is it all understood?"

Reluctantly we agreed. Adne stepped forward and wove a portal. We allowed the Strikers to enter first. Connor was leading the raid party. Once they were all through, the wolves and I jumped through. We split up into our groups and watched as the Strikers began their attack.

I sat stock still, changing my coat color to a gray to blend in with our surroundings. Lily did as well. Spencer remained a human. He stood behind a tree, watching the house carefully.

Faintly, I could hear sounds of fighting and shouts, but nothing concrete that told me who was winning the fight. I really hoped the Searchers were. Other than that though, the night was completely quiet. But that silence was broken by one, long howl and one I recognized all too well.

Elsa.

* * *

**Elsa**

I was handcuffed to a wooden chair. The handcuffs had magic in them that prevented me from changing. If I could've changed, I would've already ripped the Hunters' throats out. The Hulk had disappeared, being replaced by two men. One held a knife, the other stood back simply watching.

"You do know I'm not a werewolf right? So that silver isn't going to do much against me," I pointed out.

The man smiled. "Guardians. Always were cocky sons of bitches."

"I'm actually a daughter. And you know, a wolf is a dog and dogs are called bitches so that would've been a true statement had you called me a daughter instead of a son."

"This one has a mouth on her," the guy not holding a knife said.

"My bite is worse than my bark. Want to see for yourself?" I queried.

"Her tongue should be the first to go, don't you think Tony?"

"Good idea Bruce." Tony twirled the knife between his fingers.

"What do you want from us?" I finally inquired.

"Information. Where is the second born in your family?"

"Uh, why?"

"You don't know about the prophecy?"

"What prophecy?"

"Do the Searchers tell you anything? That's why we attacked your house when you were eleven. See, we were after Caleb because he was in the prophecy. Your twin, what's her name, Andy-"

"Anna," I growled.

"Anna, she was simply in the way. We killed her because she wouldn't get out of our way. Foolish little girl to be honest," Tony remarked.

"Were you the one that attacked my house that day?"

"No, that was the hulk that brought you in and a couple other guys. Your parents killed two of them I think. I don't remember. If I or Bruce had been there, we actually would've succeeded. Now, where is your brother? Caleb is it?"

"I don't know. You know that too. You've been keeping tabs on my family so you know he left a long time ago."

"You know where he is though. That wolf pack you were sneaking around with? There's only one reason you'd risk your life and that's your brother. Now tell me, where is he?" Tony asked with a snarl.

"Go to hell," I spat. I didn't even feel the knife slice my cheek, but I felt the blood trickling down.

"Shocking how sharp this blade is. It's so sharp that you won't feel a thing. Dangerous if I cut you too many times. You could bleed out."

"I'm pretty strong. You'll have to do a lot of cutting. Hope your arm doesn't get tired," I replied sarcastically. Tony walked around me. At first I thought he was dragging his finger across my back, but I quickly realized it was his knife.

"If I'd gone any deeper, I would've severed your spinal cord at your neck and you'd be dead. You're no use to us dead."

The pain was starting to settle in but I'd be damned if I was going to let them see that. "Why's that?"

"Because you're a bargaining chip. You for information on Caleb. Someone in your pack knows or the Searchers know, and considering you're Ren and Arya Laroche's youngest daughter, I'm sure they'd love to make a trade for you."

"What about the other two?"

"The only reason they're alive is because we need you to cooperate. Now, let's try this again, shall we? Where. Is. Caleb?" Tony interrogated, getting right up in my face.

"I. Don't. Know," I responded through gritted teeth.

"Wrong answer." He slashed my leg with his knife, easily ripping through my jeans and into my skin. Blood instantly soaked my pants. This went on for about another thirty minutes before I started feeling weak from blood loss. I couldn't let them see that though. Just as Tony was about to ask me where Caleb was for the hundredth time, the sound of glass shattering made the two men look up. At that moment, I rocked back my chair so that it hit the ground hard enough to break it. My plan worked. The chair splintered into pieces and I jumped to my feet. I grabbed a piece of wood and struck Tony on the head with it. He went down immediately. Bruce charged me but I ducked out of the way, spun around him, and kicked him in the back. He went sprawling to the ground. I kicked him in the head to knock him out. I grabbed the keys out of his pocket and unlocked my handcuffs. I grabbed another set of keys off the counter. I didn't know what they were for but decided it was best not for Tony or Bruce to have any sort of key on them whatsoever. Besides, they looked like they'd open the cell Josilyn and Sebastian were in. I ran back to my pack members who seemed to be in shock to see me. I fumbled with the keys, trying desperately to find which one unlocked their cell. Luck was on my side because it didn't take long to figure out.

Josilyn and Sebastian hugged me. I cringed from the pain.

"Elsa, you look terrible! What did they do to you?!" Josilyn exclaimed worriedly.

"One of them had a knife. I wouldn't answer his questions. It was my punishment. Listen, take the keys and let these other Guardians go and get yourselves out of here. Sebastian, make sure Josilyn doesn't get-"

A gun shot interrupted me. Josilyn let out a cry of pain. I whirled around, shifted into wolf form, and leapr at the attacker. The hulk guy had no time to respond as my jaws clamped around his neck, swiftly killing him.

"Sebastian, get them all out of here! I'll make sure no one else can come through this way," I said, handing him the cell keys.

"But Elsa, what about you?" Josilyn asked as Sebastian lifted her up into his arms.

"My job is to protect you. I'm not letting Hunter lose the one person in his life who has never let him down. I'm not letting him lose the light of his life. Now go!" I ordered. "I'll alert the Searchers where we are."

"How are you going to do that?" Sebastian queried, unlocking the first cell door. A Guardian bear waddled out, shifting into a woman and grabbing the keys from him so she could begin unlocking the other cells.

I smiled. "Like this."

I went back to being a wolf and let out a long, loud, howl.

* * *

**Spencer**

I lost all my senses when I heard Elsa's howl. I sprinted through the woods, shifting into my wolf form somewhere between the tree I'd been standing at and between the house I was heading towards. Lily had shouted my name and I heard her and Caleb chasing after me. Out of my peripheral vision I saw the Laroche pack running as well. Whether that was because they were trying to stop me or because they were going after Elsa too, I didn't know.

I leapt through a broken window, briefly changing into human so that when I landed on the glass, it'd be in shoes and not unprotected paws. Hunter, Lily, and Caleb had caught up to me. Hurriedly I ran through the fighting, dodging bullets and weapons but when one Hunter stepped in front of me, I punched his lights out as I kept running. No one was going to stop me from reaching Elsa. I had to see if she was all right. I couldn't lose another person I cared about again. I couldn't lose another person I cared about who didn't know how I really felt about them again. I had to tell her why I'd lied that day when she'd asked why I led her on.

I passed a bunch of people in a hall corridor but I knew they were no threat. I could sense that they were Guardians. That, and I could see that some of them were in their Guardian form. Quite a few panthers passed me. I'd never really liked cats but knowing that these were on our side and were probably going to go kill some Hunters, I liked them in the current moment. Midway through the corridor, I came to a sliding stop when I saw Sebastian supporting a bleeding Josilyn.

"Josilyn!" Hunter shouted, pulling her into his arms when he reached.

"Hunter!" Josilyn cried.

"What happened?" He whispered, brushing hair out of her face.

"A Hunter shot me. Elsa killed him. She's still back there," she said in a shaking voice. Hunter looked conflicted. I knew he wanted to save Josilyn and his sister but he knew he couldn't do both. Lily spoke up.

"Spencer, Stark, go after Elsa. Hunter and I will bring Josilyn and Sebastian back to safety," she said.

"Bring my sister back alive, do you hear me?" Hunter commanded.

I nodded, already running down the corridor again in wolf form. Caleb fell into stride with me. I picked up on Elsa's scent when I reached the first dead body. I barely saw the teeth marks in the guy's neck. I grabbed his gun as I passed him, just in case it might come in handy.

When Caleb and I reached Elsa, she was fending off three people: two men and a girl. The men never saw us coming. I leapt up, knocking the closest and biggest guy down to the ground. We rolled around but I got the upper hand, snapping my jaw onto his head and crushing his skull. Caleb snapped the other man's neck. We turned around and I got ready to shoot the girl who was pinning Elsa to a wall by her neck but Elsa yelled, "Spencer, don't!"

Caleb stared at the girl before murmuring, "Callie?"

I lowered my gun, unable to believe what was happening. She peered briefly over her shoulder but it was enough of a chance for me to recognize my ex-girlfriend. A sinister smirk appeared on her face as she turned back to Elsa.

"You save my life, I save yours," Callie whispered to Elsa. My ex-girlfriend hit Elsa in the stomach before letting her go. Elsa let out an agonizing scream as she fell to the floor. I ran to her, pulling her close to me. Caleb attempted to tackle Callie to the ground but she placed a well-aimed kick to his chest. My alpha went flying back. Callie started walking towards him but out of nowhere, a white wolf barreled into her, knocking her to the ground. With a growl, Callie darted off into another hallway with the white wolf chasing after her. An explosion from somewhere inside the building made the ceiling of that hallway cave in.

"Elsa!" Caleb breathed. "What happened?"

"You got kicked in the chest," she replied, blinking sleepily up at him.

"No, I mean what did Callie do to you?"

"Oh. She stabbed me."

"Spencer, watch her. I'm going to get a Weaver here. It's not good for you to move her too much. I'll be back." Caleb took off. I kept Elsa cradled to my chest. Grabbing a cloth nearby, I pressed it against her wound on her stomach to help stave off the bleeding. She was losing so much blood, it was terrifying yet incredible to me that she was still up.

"Who knew that being stabbed hurt so much?" Elsa laughed weakly. I could tell she was trying to make light of the situation but it wasn't helping me. Her eyes started to close.

"Elsa, you have to stay awake, okay?" I told her. "Don't die on me, okay? Your family needs you. I need you."

She smiled at me. "Spencer, you don't… you don't need me. You only h-had to pretend you needed me when we… we were pretending… to date."

Elsa closed her eyes. I cupped her face. "I wish it hadn't been pretend."

"Spencer!" Caleb shouted. "We're here!"

I looked up to see my alpha running full speed with a Weaver struggling to keep up behind him. The Weaver, once she reached us, wove a portal immediately. I gently lifted Elsa up. Her head lolled back when I stepped through the portal. Healers, or as they liked to be called Elixirs, surrounded me the moment I set foot into the Academy.

"Spencer, stay with her. I'll take care of everything else here. Will you be okay?" Caleb asked worriedly. I nodded, unable to get any words out. I'd just seen my dead ex-girlfriend alive and kicking (and stabbing) and the girl I wanted to be my girlfriend was dying on me. "Okay. I'll tell Lily what happened."

The Weaver cut off the portal as the Elixirs took Elsa out of my arms. I didn't know what else to do so I slumped against the wall next to her hospital room.

* * *

**Josilyn and Elsa are both in deep trouble aren't they.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Okay because I'm a nice person y'all get another chapter.**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**All I wanted was to take a hot bath, to go to sleep, and to not wake up. EVER."  
****~Calla Tor**

* * *

Chapter 29

**Arya**

Panic flooded through me when Lily told me about Elsa's condition. It was bad. Worse than bad according to Lily. Ren and I tried to force ourselves to help the Strikers but Connor and Adne both told us that they could handle everything and that we should go back. Ren and I thanked them gratefully as we hopped through a portal and into the Academy straight in front of the hospital wing. Ren strode right into Elsa's room but I halted when I smelled blood. I glanced down to find Spencer sitting against the wall, his white shirt covered in blood. I knelt down in front of him. He didn't even seem to notice.

"Spencer? Are you hurt?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No ma'am."

"Is the blood yours?"

"No ma'am. It's mostly Elsa's. A few Hunters. My ex-girlfriend stabbed her. The thing is, my ex-girlfriend perished in the house explosion last year. But I saw her. Tonight. I don't understand. I couldn't save Elsa. There was so much blood. So much."

I stared at him. The poor boy was in complete and utter shock. I knew the feeling all too well. "She must've survived somehow. But Lily told me about how you stayed with my daughter and kept her wound from bleeding anymore while Stark went and grabbed a Weaver so you could get her back here. You saved my daughter's life. Let me walk you back to your room. A shower and a change of clothes will help you, okay?"

Spencer shook his head. "I have to know if Elsa is okay."

"Then come in with me."

"Ren wants to kill me."

"Ren is too preoccupied with his injured daughter to kill you. Besides, he knows you saved her too."

Spencer slowly stood up. I placed my arm around his shoulders and led him into Elsa's room. I cringed at the sight of my daughter. Prominent red slashes marked her face, neck, and any other skin that was showing.

"Is… is she going to be okay?" Spencer inquired.

Ren nodded tiredly. "The Elixirs said she just needs a lot of rest. Thank you for saving my daughter."

Spencer nodded before backing up out of the room. I made my way over to my husband's side. He wrapped his arm around my waist and leaned into me.

"She's going to be okay," he murmured.

"She's strong, just like us," I told him.

"How is Josilyn doing?"

"She's with Hunter right now. From what I heard, she'll be fine. The bullet hit her in the arm, nothing dangerous. Just painful."

"I need to go see how Shiloh's doing," Ren said. He's probably losing his mind that Josilyn was hurt."

"You go do that. I'll stay here with her."

Ren stood up, giving me a kiss. He placed a kiss on Elsa's head, careful to avoid any cuts. Our daughter didn't even stir. With one last pained look at her, Ren left. I sat in the chair he'd been occupying and took my watch. Only a few minutes had passed when a brown wolf came trotting into the room. Stark stopped when he saw me. We stared at each other for a couple of moments before his eyes started flitting between me and Elsa. I picked up on his question.

"She'll be okay. She just needs rest," I said. The wolf nodded. He quietly dragged a chair over to the other side of the bed. At first I thought the wolf would transform into the elusive human alpha but I was wrong. Stark stepped onto the chair and gingerly onto Elsa's bed. He curled up next to her, making sure he wasn't physically touching her so as not to hurt her wounds. His eyes watched the doorway to her room for anyone who might come in. I couldn't quite understand why he was so protective of my daughter. After all, he had Lily as a girlfriend and Elsa was so in love with Spencer that I knew dating wasn't the reason. I had other ideas but none of them seemed plausible. So instead, I let my mind rest and I closed my eyes.

It felt like I'd only been sleeping for a couple minutes when I was shaken awake by a wide-eyed Gracie.

"Arya, you have to hurry! Ren and Shiloh are going at each other's throats!" Gracie informed.

"What?!" I hissed, getting up. Stark glanced over at me. "Watch her."

Stark nodded.

"What happened?" I asked as I ran with Gracie to my husband and second.

"Ren and Shiloh started arguing and it's turning into a blood bath. Loren and Hunter are trying to separate them and Carrie is trying to get them to stop but they're not listening."

"I'm going to strangle both of them. We don't have time for this," I muttered.

* * *

**Hunter**

Josilyn was curled up in my arms sleeping. She'd been shot in the arm and while it hadn't been deadly, it sure did hurt, and with her health, it took her longer to heal.

"Hunter?" Josilyn said, looking up at me.

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what sweetie?"

"For overreacting about having kids. Elsa talked to me about it and she said some things during that talk and when we were imprisoned that made me think about us. Do you really not care if you have kids as long as you're with me?"

"I really don't. Our pack is big enough that someone other than us would give birth to an alpha."

"Do you forgive me?"

"If you forgive me for being an ass," I countered.

Josilyn laughed. "Yeah, I do."

I gave her a kiss on the head.

"How's Elsa and Sebastian?" she inquired.

"Sebastian's fine. Elsa is in bad shape but she'll live."

"Have you been to see her?"

I shook my head guiltily. "I couldn't bring myself to do it. I heard she was really banged up. I don't want to see my sister in pain again."

"How about I go with you?" she offered.

"Are you up to walking?"

"I'm up for anything if it's for you," Josilyn replied. Smiling, I helped her out of bed. We walked down the hallway to her hospital room. Upon opening the door, I found Elsa wasn't alone. Not only was my mom there, fast asleep in a chair, but Stark was lying on Elsa's bed. His eyes were closed but I had a feeling he knew Josilyn and I were in there.

"Oh gosh, she looks worse than I remember," Josilyn whispered.

"Somehow she got stabbed in the stomach. That's what nearly killed her," I told her.

"Who stabbed her?"

"No idea. Lily wouldn't elaborate."

"You trust Lily?"

"More than Stark but less than Spencer. Spencer saved Elsa's life. I owe him." I saw Josilyn swaying on her feet so I decided we should head back to my room and let her get some more rest. On the way back, I stopped when we were outside the dining hall. Josilyn began to ask me what was wrong but I motioned for her to be quiet. I snuck up to the door and peered inside. Shiloh was facing my dad, and he looked pissed.

"You tell my son that if he ever hurts your daughter again that he won't be able to have kids, and then my daughter gets kidnapped. First off, don't you dare threaten my son ever again. Second, how the hell did my daughter get kidnapped by the Hunters? You said we'd be safe here!" Shiloh snarled.

"Watch your tone with me McKay. Your son accused my daughter of having sex with multiple guys because he was jealous that she was talking to other guys. It hurt my daughter and I'll be damned if I don't try and protect her. I was warning Noah not to harm her. I wouldn't castrate him but I would do serious damage if he ever harmed Ember physically or mentally again. As for your second accusation, yes, I did think we'd be safe here but obviously the Hunters have gotten much better at attacking. We're still safer here than back home though. Here we have allies. A lot of them."

"You have a bad enough relationship with Elsa thanks to your overprotectiveness. Are you really going to let that happen with Ember too?"

"I'm overprotective? That's rich Shiloh, coming from the guy who wouldn't let his daughter get her license until she was eighteen and wouldn't even let her step foot out of her house by herself until she was fourteen."

"Josilyn has her heart condition and panic attacks. I worried about her. She is nothing like your daughters and I wouldn't want her to be. The one who's sassy and takes nothing seriously and the other who's always disobeying her father. At least Josilyn respects me."

"Does she? Or is she too afraid of that temper of yours?" Ren shot back.

"My daughter would never be afraid of me unlike yours. You think you are such this fantastic alpha. But what happened to half our pack Ren? Where's MJ? Where's Dmitri? Where's Irene? And Leyla? And Katrina? And Walter? Where's their kids? Where are they Ren?!"

"Don't you dare bring that up," my dad growled. His eyes flashed with fury and while Shiloh was severely ticking me off, I didn't want him dead and that was exactly what was going to happen if this argument didn't stop soon. I needed to intervene but I was too enraptured with what they were saying to each other.

"Why not? Feeling guilty Ren? Because let's face it, you got half our pack killed and let your daughter get killed and allowed your son to run away. What kind of alpha is that?" Shiloh spat.

My father bared is sharpened canines at my mom's second. "Watch your tongue. Like me or not, I'm still an alpha and you're still a second. Remember your damn place and where you stand in this pack. Caleb ran off on his own terms."

"No, you drove him out. Stop blaming your kids for your mistakes and stop putting your kids so highly above mine."

"My kids are put more highly above your kids because they're _my_ kids. And my oldest one? He's an alpha. The alpha is the one who's supposed to be protected and until Hunter and Josilyn are married, Hunter is the only alpha of the kids. He's the one that they need to protect. So as your alpha, listen to me: shut up and suck it up. We have worse things to deal with than your issues. It's not all about you and your family Shiloh."

"You have _never _been my alpha. It's been Arya and Arya alone. I never liked you and you know that and you damn well better remember that. We took you in because Arya loved your worthless ass. But I know that if it came between choosing us and you, she'd choose us in a heartbeat because we were the ones who were always there for her. We were the ones who were there for her when you disappeared without a trace, when you were working for Lumine of all people."

"I was doing that to save her old pack!" Ren barked. "I was doing that for her."

"Hell of a lot of good that did. Why save them when most of them die a few years later because you couldn't protect them like before? And what happened to your old pack Ren? Calla and Shay and Mason and Neville and Ansel and Bryn? Kicked you out of their pack like they could care less. Your own pack joined hers. Why is that I wonder? Oh, because they knew what a shitty alpha you were and how much shittier you'd be."

"Are you really going to push the one person who can kick your ass? You do not want to cross me Shiloh."

"Using the testosterone card. Really Ren? Let me remind you that I'm the only one in the pack who can kick your ass. As a matter of fact, anyone can kick your ass Ren. That's why half your pack is dead! You killed them! All of them! And you're going to get us killed too!"

My dad completely sucker-punched Shiloh in the jaw, sending my mom's second staggering back. With a growl, Shiloh charged dad and knocked him to the ground.

"Josilyn, go get Loren and the others. I'm going to need help restraining them," I said. Josilyn scurried away. Luckily though, Loren rounded the corner just at that moment. He barged into the dining hall with me. The two of us circled my dad and Shiloh who were now fighting as wolves and not holding back. Ren bit Shiloh on his back leg and I heard the bones snapping and breaking. Shiloh returned with a bite of his own, sinking his teeth into my dad's flank and ripping out fur as he pulled away.

"Dad stop!" I shouted. I saw Riley, Dmitri, Sebastian, and Noah come flying into the room with Ember, Diana, and Josilyn.

"Gracie went to get Arya," Riley said, going to stand next to his dad. Noah stood next to me. So did Dmitri and Ember. Diana and Sebastian stood next to Loren. None of us had any idea on how to break the fighting wolves apart. If we got anywhere near them, we'd end up injured or dead.

My dad had pinned Shiloh to the floor, his jaw snapping at Shiloh's neck. The latter barely kept his alpha at bay.

"That's enough," my mom's voice commanded in an eerily calm voice. Ren and Shiloh both turned their heads to look at her. "Ren, get off of Shiloh. Shiloh, get up."

The two men shifted forms, staring at my mother. Both of them were beaten and bloody all over. For an alpha, my dad completely cowered at my mother's anger, and so did Shiloh. They both bowed their heads in submission.

"What is wrong with you two?" Mom demanded, her eyes flashing with anger.

"I can't live under an alpha who gets his pack killed constantly. I can't live under an alpha who still acts like a kid when someone tells him the truth and he doesn't want to believe it," Shiloh said. I could hear the underlying hatred in his voice, even though was trying to hide it.

"I did not kill our pack," my dad snarled.

"Quiet," my mom ordered.

"Arya, maybe we should heal them?" Erin suggested.

"No. They did this to themselves. If they want to heal faster, then they can heal each other. Everyone, out. Carrie, Shiloh, Ren, you're all staying."

We filed out of the room. I shut the door but hung back, listening in through the door. My pack had the same idea.

"I know that look Shiloh. There's more you want to say," my mom remarked.

"I'm taking my family and leaving. I'm not going to live under an alpha like Ren anymore and I won't let my wife and kids be under his leadership either. We'll pack our things and go back to Estes, find somewhere to stay other than here," Shiloh said. My blood went cold at his statement. Surely he wasn't serious? Josilyn tightened her grip on my hand, telling me I wasn't imagining what I'd just heard.

"Shiloh, you can't be serious," my mom replied, fear evident in her voice. "I need my second."

"You're my alpha Arya, but I can't stand him," Shiloh spat. "You married an idiot and he's running me off and he's going to get the rest of your pack killed."

"Shiloh, please sleep on this. I don't want you making rash decisions," Arya said gently.

"Just let him leave. If he thinks I'm such a terrible alpha, then I'm not going to force him to stay. Just let him go," dad told her. Silence ensued before my mom said, "At least give your children the option of staying with us. Josilyn is dating Hunter, Ember is dating Noah. They're madly in love and I don't want to ruin their relationships because of ours."

It took a few moments for Shiloh to answer. "Josilyn comes with us, but I'll give Noah the option of staying. Come on Carrie." The entire pack and I backed away from the door. The two McKays walked out.

"Josilyn, Noah, come with us," Shiloh ordered. Reluctantly their kids did. I stood at the doorway of the dining hall. My pack left, with only Ember remaining behind.

"Hunter… I'm so sorry. I'm sure they'll change their mind," she consoled, resting her hand on my shoulder.

"No, I don't think they will." Ember kissed me on the cheek and went to her room.

"Ren, what happened?" My mom's voice floated from inside the dining hall. I went against my better judgement and listened in on the conversation.

"Shiloh accused me of killing half our pack and running Caleb off. He kept saying it and saying it and I lost my temper. I threw the first punch," dad said.

"But it's not true, so why get so upset?"

"Because it seems like it is. Your pack was fine until I came along."

"They're your pack too."

"Not according to Shiloh."

"Since when do you listen to him? Especially when he's insulting you?"

"Because it has to do with the pack. I've run off Shiloh just like I let Caleb run off, and if they don't have protection, they'll all be killed, and it'll be because of me."

"None of that is your fault and you need to stop thinking that it is. Now come on, we have some upset children to tend to."

* * *

**Review please :)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Everywhere? I don't think I've been there."  
****~Calla Tor in **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 30

**Lily**

"You're positive it was Callie?" I repeated for the fiftieth time. It seemed impossible to me that anyone could've survived the explosion that had turned our lives upside down merely a year ago.

"I know it was her. Spencer did too. It was like she didn't even recognize us though. Some Guardian attacked her and she bolted. I couldn't stop her," Caleb said as he paced up and down our room with his hands clasped behind his head.

It'd been two days since we'd rescued Elsa, Josilyn, and Sebastian. The McKays had left only a few hours after the battle. Hunter was miserable and he wasn't even trying to hide it. Elsa was still bedridden. Even with all the Guardian blood she'd been given, it still wasn't enough to replace all the blood she'd lost from being cut by the Hunter's knife. She was up and talking but tired easily so she didn't say much before she'd fall asleep again.

"It's not your fault you couldn't catch Callie," I said. "You were taken by surprise."

"I know, but I still should've been able to catch her. I'm an alpha. It's my job to adapt to situations that change instantly."

"You're not invincible you know."

"Unfortunately."

Someone knocked on our door. We glanced at each other, both wondering who it was this late at night. After all, it was midnight and while most Guardians were still up, they were all in their beds. I got up to answer it while Caleb shifted into wolf form in case it was any of the Laroche pack.

"Elsa!" I exclaimed when I opened the door. My boyfriend's sister was leaning heavily on the door frame, her face was pale, but she was up and standing, and that was shocking.

"Elsa?" Caleb said, running up to her.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I just came to talk," Elsa explained, moving into our room. Caleb helped her over to our bed where she collapsed into sitting position. "Sorry, I just really had to get out of that room. I was going stir-crazy sitting in there all day long."

"Did someone help you walk over here?" Caleb asked.

"No, I came by myself. So how are you doing? After seeing Callie?" she queried, staring inquisitively up at her brother. He sat down next to her.

"Shocked among other things. How did you know it was her? I never showed you what she looked like," Caleb noted.

"Spencer showed me pictures of all of you, including Michael and Elaine. What about you Lily? Are you doing okay?"

I shrugged. "As best you can be when you find out a dead pack member is not actually dead and apparently doesn't remember you."

"The thing is, I think she recognized you, or at least Spencer since they dated. We're going to get her back though. I know we will," Elsa promised. I gave her a grateful smile. "How's Spencer handling it?"

"Honestly we haven't seen much of him except at dinner and breakfast. He's been really quiet. Has he said anything to you?"

"No. I haven't seen him since the night you rescued me."

"Really? He's been going to visit you," I remarked.

"I must've been asleep. I feel that's all I've been doing lately… but if I see Spencer, I'll ask how he's doing and relay it to you in case he's not open with you guys about it."

"That would be wonderful. Besides, the one time he did talk at dinner, he said he needed to talk to you."

"Maybe I'll go see him later. For now, I think I should head back. Dad went to go shower so I had a little bit of time to escape but he'll be back soon and if he finds out I left without supervision, he'll freak," Elsa laughed weakly. She stood up. Caleb lightly placed his arm around her to make sure she didn't fall.

"Hey what's going on?" Spencer asked, striding into the room. None of us had even heard him open the door. His eyes instantly settled on Elsa. "Elsa! What are you doing out of bed?"

"I wanted to see how you were all doing. Plus I was going stir-crazy doing nothing for two days straight. Listen, I'm going to head back now because I need to get back before dad does and I can tell you need to talk to Caleb and Lily. I'll see y'all later," Elsa said with a smile. She began shuffling towards the door.

"Elsa, about the other night-" Spencer began.

"Don't worry about it. I promise we'll get Callie back for you. I'll talk to Baba about it the first chance I get," she said. She exited the room. Spencer stared after her before saying dejectedly, "That's not what I meant… I need to go after her."

"Why don't I go help her back to her room? I think this calls for girl talk. You two have some… boy talk." I made a shooing motion with my hands as I left. It wasn't much trouble for me to catch up to Elsa. She'd barely made it four feet from our doorway.

"Need a hand?" I inquired.

"I need strength," she laughed. "But a hand would be wonderful."

I wrapped my arm around her waist as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder. We slowly walked to her room.

"May I ask you something?" I queried, giving her a sideways glance.

"Of course," she answered immediately.

"Don't take this the wrong way when I ask this, but I know how you feel about Spencer and while you may have him and Caleb and most of your pack fooled, you don't have me fooled. So my question is, if you love him so much, why are you so hell-bent on getting his ex-girlfriend back for him?"

Elsa stayed quiet for a few moments before responding. "Because she deserves to be saved, girlfriend of the guy I love or not. I don't know what the Hunters did to her, just that they have been able to give her amnesia of sorts, but Spencer's her anchor. He's the reason she didn't kill me."

"I thought that was because you prevented him from shooting her," I countered.

"Different points of view I guess. But I was there for Spencer when he needed someone he could really relate to. Maybe I was a rebound girl, maybe I wasn't, but he and I connected for the sheer fact we had similar life experiences. He still loves Callie and I think deep down, she knows she has feelings for him. She only tried to attack me and Caleb. She didn't go for Spencer, not even when he rushed to my side when she stabbed me. And considering I know what it's like to lose someone I love dearly, if I found out they were alive, I'd do anything in my power to get them back, no matter what."

"You're talking about Anna, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Anna was my other half. I mean we were independent enough that we didn't mind doing things on our own or being separated from each other, but at the same time, we were always connected, more so with each other than anyone else in the pack, even with our own immediate family. And when I lost that other half, I lost a lot of myself. It took a long time for me to put myself back together and to find out who I was without my other half. Now it's my turn to ask you a question."

"Considering I was extremely invasive with mine, fire away."

"What would you have done if you'd been in Spencer's place the other night?"

"You mean holding a gun pointed at Callie while she was trying to kill you?" Elsa nodded. "I would've fired the shot because you're Caleb's little sister, and since Caleb is my pack, you're my pack too, if only unofficially. But pack member or not, if you attack a pack mate of mine, I will hurt you."

We reached her bedroom just as she replied, "You're my unofficial pack too. Any family of my brother is family of mine."

I helped her into bed and said, "Speaking of packs, there's one more thing I wanted to bring up with you. I know Spencer offered you a position in the pack and I know you said no, but I want to ask you personally because I was thinking I could really use a beta. Spencer is juggling being beta to me and Caleb but he and Caleb have gotten a lot closer and I want my beta to be my best friend. I know we're not exactly like sisters, but you're the closest friend I've had outside of my pack in, well, ever. So I'm officially asking you to be a part of our pack, as my beta."

"Are- are you being serious?" Elsa stammered, her eyes wide.

"Yes. You get along well with all three of us, you think similar to us, and Spencer needs a beta that he works well with, and you two are great partners in crime. When we rebuild our compound, you'd have the option of living in the same house as him or living in your own. Although it might be an awkward conversation when you choose separate houses and he chooses living in the same one."

"He wouldn't choose that," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Do you really believe he doesn't love you or are you still trying to convince yourself he doesn't so it makes it easier when you two go your separate ways at the end of the war?" I finally demanded in exasperation. I was tired of both of them acting like they didn't like the other when it was completely, totally, blatantly obvious that they did.

"More of the latter… Lily, I would love to accept your offer of being your beta, but I have to stay with my pack. I can't leave Hunter or my dad. My mom and sister could handle me leaving because they know I'm grown up now but my dad and brother still see me as a little girl that needs to be protected. Not only would neither of them ever allow me to go with you, but I couldn't leave them when they're not ready for me to go."

"What if Spencer decided to stay with you?"

"You and Caleb need him. Besides, for better or for worse, he's a lot like me and I know his loyalty for you would overshadow anything he wants. I've done a lot of selfish things lately, I've caused a lot of pain, and I need to make up for that. Starting with my family."

"It's okay to be selfish once in a while, you know," I remarked.

"Yeah, but this is war. You can't be selfish in war. You have to think of the greater good."

"This selflessness of yours is really getting on my nerves because you and Spencer need to be together but neither of you will do anything to make it happen," I growled.

"Sorry alpha, but our stubbornness is going to remain," Elsa said with a grin.

"If I hadn't had experience around Laroches, I would keep arguing, but I know better. I'll let you get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. But Elsa, consider what I said about my pack, and know it's always open. Just give me a call."

The Laroche girl nodded before lying back on her pillow and falling asleep within seconds. I left her room and went back to mine. Spencer had left and Caleb was relaxing on the bed, doing stuff on his computer.

"Did you talk to her about the position?" he asked, sitting up.

I crawled into bed next to him. "You Laroches are too damn stubborn for your own good. She's staying with her current pack, but I told her the offer is always open. Now come on, let's get some sleep. It's been another long day."

* * *

**Spencer**

**Four days later…**

I was sitting on my bed, watching stupid YouTube videos, when someone knocked on my door. When I called for them to come in, I instantly sat up. Elsa, looking much better and healthier, stood in the middle of my room, appearing rather shy to be there. Neither of us had really talked since Callie's appearance. Every time I went to see her in her room, she'd been sleeping. In fact, she still looked tired even though it was only nine at night.

"Hey, how are you doing?" I asked, setting down my laptop and standing up.

"Much better. How are you doing?" Elsa replied.

"Better, especially now that I see you're up and about."

"Yeah, it's nice to be walking around." We stood in an awkward silence before she said, "Lily told me you wanted to talk to me? I tried coming to see you earlier but dad kept a careful watch on me. Oh! Before I forget, I talked to Baba about Callie. I explained the situation and so he's alerting all the Searchers that she's not to be killed, although he said she might get harmed a little if she tries to attack anyone. I can't really argue with him on that…"

"God, you Laroches make nothing easy, do you?" I laughed.

Elsa looked confused but she gave me a smile. "No, we typically don't."

"Listen, I want Callie back. She was part of my pack, and my pack and I are lucky enough to have the chance to get her back. But if she does remember us, she's going to remember how she and I were dating. The thing is, I've moved on from that, even if that sounds terrible. If she was the one for me, if she was the one meant to be my mate for life, then it would've taken me a lot longer to get over her death, but it didn't."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I'm in love with someone else and that if she comes back-"

"_When_ she comes back," Elsa corrected. "We're definitely getting her back for you and Caleb and Lily."

I sighed. "When we get Callie back, I'm worried that her presence will ruin any chance I have with this new girl."

"Well if this new girl loves you back, she won't have a problem with Callie being back. But if she acts different with Callie around, it might not be because of her but because she knows you'll be leaving soon and doesn't want to get anymore attached to you than she already is."

"Doesn't distance make the heart grow fonder?"

"Supposedly. But we have phones and computers. And also planes."

I chuckled. "But nothing beats seeing you in person."

Elsa took her hands in mine. "Hey, if the dead can come back to life, then there's a chance it can still work out between us. But for now, let's focus on the war and getting Callie back. We can figure out our love lives after."

"I'm going to hold you to that, you know," I said.

"I'm counting on it," she replied, giving me a kiss on the cheek. "I'll let you get back to watching stupid YouTube videos."

"How did you know?"

"Because I heard the scream of the guy bouncing on the tree limb singing gibberish and pretending he's Rafiki from the Lion King."

"Want to watch some with me?"

"I would but I'm heading to the gym. No one's there and I plan on getting back to my full strength ASAP. Tomorrow night?"

"Deal. Good night."

Elsa left my room. Okay, so maybe it didn't go exactly how I wanted it to, but it still had a decent outcome. At least I knew she was interested and was open to trying something between us at the end of the war. For the first time in days, I smiled. Things were going to turn out okay. I knew they were.

* * *

**Elsa**

I taped my hands and wrists before I began hitting the punching back. I was being careful not to rip open my stab wound on my stomach. It wouldn't kill me if I did but it certainly would hurt like hell.

I'd been punching and kicking the bag for about fifteen minutes when I heard someone come in. I looked over my shoulder to find Dominic Stone strutting over to me. I had to admit he was handsome with his dark hair and green eyes, but for some reason, I wasn't physically attracted to him. Although that might've been because I was in love with a different guy…

"Mind if I join you?" Dom asked.

"Um, no," I said, watching him carefully as he leaned against a table. I didn't really trust him. There was something… off about him. "Aren't you supposed to be in your room because of new recruiter restrictions or something?"

"After I helped the Searchers find you and your friends, they gave me some leniency. I'm allowed to go to the garden, dining hall, and the training room. But nowhere else that could give me knowledge of the Searchers ways. That's okay. I understand. So how are you doing?"

"I'm better," I replied.

"Even though the ex-girlfriend of the guy you like has come back to life and you're still the omega of your pack?"

I growled. "Be careful where you tread, Dom. Just because I'm the omega doesn't mean I fight like one. What do you want?"

"I want to get to know you."

"Why?"

"Because I want to get to know your pack. I'm curious like that. It gets me into trouble. Why do you think I'm on the Hunters' bad side?" he joked.

"My parents don't trust you. We're not supposed to talk to you or give you any information about our pack."

"This coming from the girl who risked her place in the pack and her life to see her run-away brother, Caleb? Excuse me if I'm wrong, but you seem to have a little bit of disregard for the rules," Dom remarked, trying to hide a smile.

"I swear to god, if you breathe a word about Caleb being here to my pack, I'll kill you. Caleb will be next in line. He doesn't want them knowing he's here."

"I wouldn't put it past you. Besides, you don't have to worry about me spilling the beans. His secret is not mine to tell."

"That's the smartest thing you've said so far."

"Can I ask you something?" Dom inquired, standing up.

"You're going to ask me anyway," I retorted.

"Do you believe in the impossible?"

"I can turn into a wolf and back into a human at will, I'm able to walk through a portal to get from one destination to another, and a girl survived an explosion somehow. All of that should be impossible but it happened nonetheless. I'm kind of used to believing in the impossible. Why?"

"Because I want to show you something. Elsa, this might be difficult to wrap your head around so before you kill me after seeing it, at least give me a chance to explain, okay?" He said. I nodded. Dom pulled out his phone, scrolled through a few things before finally settling on something. He handed his phone to me. At first I wondered why he had a picture of me that I never remembered being taken in the first place until he told me to swipe to the next one. I saw nothing wrong with the next photo because my eyes immediately went to him smiling in front of the "Welcome to Vegas" sign. However I did a double-take when I saw the girl from the previous picture standing next to him.

"How is this possible? Did you photoshop this?" I demanded.

"No. That was taken three years ago in Vegas. A trip I took with her."

"She looks just like me… I mean it's insane. We're identical. Is that why you were staring at me when you arrived? You thought I was her?" I looked up at him.

Dom shook his head. "I knew you weren't her. But since you two are identical, seeing you was like seeing her again. But you remember how I asked you if you believed in the impossible?"

"Yes?"

"Would you be willing to believe that your twin sister is still alive?"

"Who told you about Anna?"

"I looked into it. Anna always knew she had a twin somewhere so I did research for her to find her, to find _you_."

"But… but Caleb saw the Hunters slit her throat in front of him. He saw them murder her in right in front of him. That can't… that can't be Anna," I declared weakly. My legs felt like jelly and I had no control when they collapsed on me. Thankfully Dom had quick reflexes. He lowered me to the floor and sat next to me.

"It was an illusion. The Hunters have been taking Guardians and turning them into their own personal weapons by erasing their memories and having the Guardians fight for them. That's what they did to Callie and that's what they tried to do to your sister. Anna was smart and she was strong. She pretended to act like she had no recollection of her former life. And that was partially true. I don't think she remembers much except for you and maybe her immediate family. But in order to make sure your pack didn't go after them anymore than they already were going to after the Hunters attacked your compound, they had to make sure your parents believed Anna was dead. The Hunters knew your pack wouldn't rest until they had Anna back so they faked her death and got her as far away from there as possible."

"So you're saying all these years, my sister has been working for the Hunters?" I asked. Dom nodded. I rubbed my head, unable to comprehend everything.

"I know it's hard to believe, but yes. She bided her time so she could plan her escape. The Hunters always kept a careful watch on her because she was always headstrong, a lot like you actually. They thought she might somehow regain her memories of her former life. Little did they know she still had some."

"Why did you not help her escape?"

"We… had a falling out and she took me out of her life. She severed all connections and I couldn't find her. Anna and I dated and some bitch convinced her I cheated on her. She never gave me a chance to defend myself. I've been trying to find her ever since."

"How long ago was that?"

"Two years ago."

"I found out she left the Hunters right after our fight. I've been trying to track her ever since but she was trained on how to hide, plus she was always good at sneaking around."

I let out a small laugh. "The two of us always were."

"I just now got a lead on her. If you want, in two days' time, I'm going after her. I haven't told anyone but you, Ember, Noah, and a Weaver I knew when I was little."

"How long have Ember and Noah known?"

"Since December for Ember. I had easiest access to her so that's why she knew first. Noah found out because he was throwing a fit that she was talking to another guy besides him even though they weren't dating at the time. You were always with someone else and I only wanted you to know. Ember never told you because she wanted to find out if it was actually true before telling you. She doesn't quite believe me still but curiosity is getting the better of her."

"I'll go with you in two days' time but only if I can bring Spencer. It'd be best to have an even number of people and I like having him fighting on my side. I'm going to see Josilyn tomorrow so I won't be around most of the day but afterwards, I want you to tell me everything about Anna… can you send me this picture and any others you have of her?" I requested.

Dom nodded. "Of course. Are you going to be okay?"

"I think so. It's just a lot to take in. I mean Anna's been gone for so many years… it just seems too good to be true that she's really alive."

"Why don't I escort you to your room? You don't look so good."

"Okay," I said, not really listening to him. I was still too busy staring at the picture of him and Anna. We ended up at my room way too quickly. I said goodnight to Dom and plopped down on my bed. A few seconds later, a bunch of texts came in on my phone. Opening, I saw they were all pictures of Anna that Dom had sent me. I began scrolling through them, trying to learn who my sister was now.

* * *

**Elsa finally finds out Anna is alive (maybe)! Reviews would be wonderful :)**


	31. Chapter 31

**I'm listening to the playlist I made for this story on Spotify and now I'm inspired. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**That you want this, us. That someday you'll love me."  
****~Ren Laroche in **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 31

**Josilyn**

I'd barely been able to speak to my dad after he chose to leave the pack. I'd tried convincing him to let me stay with the Laroches only because I wanted to stay with Hunter but my dad wouldn't hear of it. My mom was more understanding but dad stood firm.

We were staying in one of the apartment buildings at the Stanley. I was sleeping in the living room on a pull out sofa. I stuck next to my phone in case anyone texted me. I'd received texts and calls from everyone in the pack, even Elsa. Apparently no one told her for days after she woke up about what had happened and kept apologizing that she hadn't contacted me sooner until I finally convinced her it was really okay. The only person who hadn't contacted me was Hunter. I couldn't figure out if it was because he was upset or if he was angry at me. It wasn't like I had any control of the situation. Much like Hunter's father, once mine made up his mind about something, he stuck with it. It would take something drastic for him to change it.

I was scrolling through pictures on my phone of me and my pack, reminiscing when the most worrisome thing in our lives was sleeping through an alarm to get us up for school or getting a detention (none of the girls really did except Thea and Ember- Thea for talking back to a teacher and Ember for getting caught in a super heavy make-out session with Noah in a janitor's closet), when the doorbell rang. My dad got to the door before I could even get off the couch. He motioned for me to hide. Reluctantly I did although I was pretty sure that if it was a Hunter, they weren't going to ring our doorbell before they killed us. I was pretty sure they would go straight to the killing part.

"Hey dad," my brother greeted.

"Hi Mr. McKay," Elsa's shy voice followed.

"Hey Noah. Elsa, since when am I Mr. McKay to you?" dad asked.

"I don't know. It feels weird calling you Shiloh now that you're not in our pack…"

"You can still call me Shiloh. I have nothing against you sweetie. Come on in. Josilyn's here. Carrie went out to do some grocery shopping." I popped out from my hiding place and threw my arms around my brother and friend.

"I'm so happy to you! I've missed you like crazy!" I exclaimed. "How are you feeling Elsa?"

"I'm good. All healed. How are you doing? Is that gunshot wound healed up?"

"Completely. Come in, come in, I just made brownies. Want some?"

My brother and friend nodded. Dad went into his room and shut the door. He was still pissed at Noah for staying with the Laroches. I put the brownies on plates and set them down on the table.

"So tell me, how is everyone?" I inquired.

"They're good. They miss you though. We all do. And then something is wrong with the Starks. Something about a dead packmate coming back to life I think," Noah replied.

"It was their omega who supposedly died in the house explosion: Callie Hart. She's been brainwashed by the Hunters and turned into a weapon for them," Elsa explained.

"Callie… isn't that Spencer's ex-girlfriend's name?" I remarked.

"It's the same Callie."

"Oh, I'm sorry Elsa…"

She shrugged. "Don't be. I was always wondering if it'd work out between me and Spencer and I'm pretty sure that Callie coming back is a sign that it wasn't meant to happen. But enough about us. How have you been?"

"I've been… okay. I wish I was back with all of you. How… how's Hunter?"

"He's terribly upset about everything. He misses you so much," Elsa answered. "Have you talked to him?"

I shook my head. "No. I've texted him but he hasn't responded. I thought maybe something had happened to him so I texted Ember asking her but she said he was fine. I don't know why he won't talk to me."

"I think he's too upset to talk about it all. He won't say a word about it to any of us. I'll talk to him when I get back though."

"No, it's okay. Let him talk to me when he wants to. Listen, I'm going stir-crazy in this house. Since you two are here, dad might let me go out for a bit. Would you like to do that?"

Both of them nodded. Dad gave me permission to go although I could tell he was hesitant about it. Then again he hated me being mad at him and knew this would alleviate some of my anger at the whole situation so he let me go with Noah and Elsa into town.

"So you two are getting along again?" I prodded, amazed that the two of them had been in each other's presence for twenty minutes without so much as a slight insult or even a glare thrown at one another.

"We've moved past that. I think," Noah said, giving Elsa a sideways glance as if he was unsure.

"Yeah, we're good. Don't worry, I'm not going to punch you again for breaking my arm," Elsa said. "Where do you want to go first?"

"I know it's far off but can we go shopping at that cute little Christmas store?" I begged. "I want to get a good advent calendar."

Noah laughed. "Josie, that's really sad but yeah, of course we can."

"I want to see those house things that all create a wintery scene. You know what I'm talking about?" Elsa looked at us.

"I do! Come on!" I grabbed my friend's hand we walked to the Christmas store with Noah behind us. Upon arriving at the shop, we realized we were the only ones in there besides the owner. I guess people weren't looking for Christmas ornaments in the middle of the summer. Oh well, that meant more selection for us! I went straight to the ornaments in the shapes of wolves. The Laroches had multiple trees in their house at Christmas. They had their main one in the foyer, one in the living room, one in the basement, and Elsa and Ember had mini ones for their rooms. The foyer tree was always a formal one with a different theme each other although they recycled the themes every few years. My favorite, along with Elsa's, was when they did the red and gold themed tree. The living room tree was the family tree, the one that everyone bought ornaments for and had no theme whatsoever. Elsa and Ember had collector Barbie ornaments that they always put at the front. Hunter had a lot of sports stuff. Ren and Arya had picture ornaments of family memories. More than once I'd caught Arya staring at the pictures, mainly those with Caleb and Anna in them. The basement tree was a pack themed one. It had wolf ornaments (so many wolf ones), a few Stanley or Rocky Mountain National Park themed ones, and to commemorate our Searcher family, ornaments in the shapes of weapons.

"What about this one?" Noah lifted up an ornament that was rather frightening simply because the sculptor couldn't get the face right. Elsa and I both made faces at it. Snickering, my brother put it back. We went back to shopping. Elsa and I ended up buying all the wolf ornaments in the store. Noah made fun of us but we ignored him. The three of us left the store with intentions to go to Poppy's for lunch. We reached the street we had to cross to get to our restaurant. Elsa and I hurried across while my brother took his time. We didn't think anything of his lagging behind until we heard a two distinct yelps. We whirled around to find my brother on the ground with a big, burly black wolf on top of him, unable to move.

"Dad," Elsa breathed, running over to them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Loren leaping over a railing, chasing after some suspect. Melinda was behind him. What were they doing back in Estes Park?

By now a crowd of people had gathered around us, staring at the wolf that had saved my brother's life. Ren was lying unmoving on the ground but he snarled at anyone that made a movement to come near him, even Elsa.

"I knew dad wouldn't be okay with me coming here," Elsa muttered.

"You snuck out?" I asked, shocked my friend would do something like that after getting demoted to omega for sneaking out to see Spencer and his pack.

"No, I asked mom if I could come see you and she agreed. She said she'd tell dad but I guess she didn't. Listen, we need to get him out of here."

"I'm a vet," some guy shouted.

"Oh it's okay! We'll take him to our vet. He lives right over there!" Elsa replied. "Noah, can you carry him?"

"I don't think he's going to appreciate it," Noah remarked when Ren bared his teeth at his daughter's idea.

"Well it's either going to Shiloh or leaving him here to get hit by another car and I don't think he wants that to happen."

"I wouldn't be so sure if it means avoiding my dad. Remember the last time they talked to each other?"

"They better act like the adults they are then. This isn't a matter of testosterone, this is a matter of making sure my dad is okay. Noah, carry him. Josilyn and I aren't strong enough."

"Sorry Ren," Noah whispered, carefully lifting the wolf over his shoulders. The Laroche alpha let out a strange noise that I was pretty sure was between a growl and a whimper. We trudged back up to the Stanley where we received quite a few stares. I guess most people weren't used to seeing a wolf casually being carried through town.

When we arrived at the apartment we were staying in, my dad threw the door open.

"What the-" he began.

"Dad, Ren saved my life. Before you go Cujo on him, at least thank him for that before you do."

"I wouldn't kill Ren. Not with Elsa or Josilyn here at least," dad mused. Elsa snapped her head up at my dad, horror in her eyes. Hastily my dad added, "Kidding."

"Ah he couldn't kill me anyways," Ren muttered. None of us had seen him change so we all jumped at his voice. "Noah, set me down. I'm fine. Let me call Arya, tell her what happened."

"How about you tell me what happened first?" Shiloh said.

"No. I don't take orders from other Guardians," Ren growled. "Let alone deserters. My wife gets called first."

Shiloh glared angrily at Ren but said nothing further other than ordering Noah to bring Mr. Laroche into the house.

"Hi honey…" Ren greeted once he was set down on the floor. "Yeah, just got hit by a car. I'm fine. Listen, Shiloh found out I'm here… yes, I got hit by a car. That's what I said… because a Hunter was trying to run Noah down. I knocked him out of the way… I'm fine. I'm at Shiloh's… No I haven't killed him yet. I wasn't planning on it you know. He hasn't done anything to piss me off. I also wouldn't kill him in front of his kids…" Ren put his hand over the phone and whispered 'kidding' to me and Noah before going back to talking to Arya. "I'll call Adne, have her weave a portal so I can get back. Call in on Loren and Melinda. They went after the Hunter… honey you don't have to do that… oh, well I guess I'll see you soon then… love you too."

Ren shoved his phone back into his pocket. "Looks like Arya got caught by Carrie saving Carrie's life. That Hunter didn't survive though. He's dead, currently being transported to the morgue. Died of a wolf bite to the neck. Sorry I can't get out of your hair sooner."

"Thank you, Ren, for saving my son," Shiloh said, nodding his head in respect to the Laroche alpha.

"Yeah, well, he's my pack. I protect my pack," Ren replied, not breaking eye contact with my dad. There was a tic in my dad's jaw.

"What are you doing back here? I thought you were staying with the Searchers?"

"Oh we are. But Arya wasn't letting you get away from us that easily. We've been watching you since you left. The Hunters have been watching you ever since you left too but haven't attacked because we've gotten to them first. They're getting smarter though, arriving in larger numbers to attack. That's how the two that attacked Noah and Carrie got away with it. I gotta say, I've never heard of a hit and run tactic being used by Hunters. They're starting to get creative."

At that moment, the door opened to reveal my disheveled mom and Arya who was sporting a black eye and busted lip.

"Ren! Good lord, you told me you were fine!" Arya chastised.

"I am fine. Afternoon Carrie," Ren greeted, nodding his head at my mom.

"Ren, nice to see you again," mom replied.

"Did you call Loren and Melinda?"

"Yes. They caught the Hunter and already brought him back to the Academy to be interrogated. I need to call Adne so she can weave a portal for us to get back. I'll be back." Arya exited the apartment. Dad hesitated before following her. Carrie followed him.

"Do you need anything Mr. Laroche?" I asked. "Water? Tea? Food? I have brownies."

"While that all sounds wonderful, I'm going to decline. Thank you though Josilyn," he replied. At that moment, the door opened. Mom, dad, and Arya walked in.

"Kids, can you go outside for a moment? The adults need to have a word," Arya said. Knowing better than to argue, Noah, Elsa, and I filed outside but the second the door shut we all had our ears to it, listening in.

"Shiloh, if it wasn't for Arya, I'd be dead," Carrie said.

"Was this your plan? Be there when the Hunters attacked so you could convince us that we need you or something?" My dad remarked.

"No. We're here because we didn't feel comfortable having you out here with no protection and Babatunde felt the same way. I don't care what happened between you and Ren, you were still my second and I still care for you and Carrie and Josilyn and just because you're not my packmates anymore does not mean you're not my friends anymore either. I'm not protecting you as my packmates, but as my friends. You left the pack of your own accord. However, you are still welcome to come back. We all miss you and I would hope that you miss us… well, most of us," Arya replied. I could hear the slight joking tone at the end of her sentence and could imagine the glare that Ren was giving his wife.

"Arya, don't do this again," Ren grumbled.

"You're not exactly in a position to argue with me. In case you haven't noticed, you're still on the ground because you got hit by a car."

"Watch me," Ren declared. I heard some sliding and scraping for a few moments before he said, "There. I'm standing."

"I hardly call leaning against the wall with all of your weight 'standing', Renier." Elsa covered her mouth to stifle a laugh before whispering to me, "Mom only calls dad by his real name when she wants to piss him off."

"Shiloh, I want to go back to the pack," Carrie said softly. "You and Ren both overreacted last week. You both said things you shouldn't have and things you didn't mean."

"No, I'm pretty sure he meant what he said," Ren mumbled.

"Whether or not you join our pack again or not, Carrie and I both came to the decision in the car ride back here that you two need to apologize to each other. Formally and _sincerely_," Arya said firmly, allowing a little threatening growl to escape.

I heard both men sigh. "You're really going to make me do this?" Dad whined.

"Yes," mom responded firmly.

"Shiloh, I'm sorry for attacking you physically and verbally. I shouldn't have threatened to harm Noah if he hurt Ember and I shouldn't have accused you of being overprotective of Josilyn when I'm pretty much the same way with Elsa," Ren said. I could tell he didn't want to say anything at all but I still heard the sincerity in his voice.

"I'm sorry for everything I accused you of. Between saying you were a shitty alpha, telling you that you're the reason half our pack got killed, telling you that you never belonged in our pack, it was all things I was saying because I was angry and upset Josilyn got hurt. I took it out on you because you were there. You're actually a great alpha, you didn't get our pack killed, and you wouldn't be in our pack if even just one of us hadn't accepted you into it. Despite my earlier actions, I do accept you as the male alpha of the pack," dad said.

"I might've been a great alpha before but I've been a shitty alpha lately. So you were right in that part."

"No, you're just being human, Ren. You can't be a perfect alpha all the time."

"I'm supposed to be. Do you forgive me?"

"Yes. Do you forgive me?"

"Only if you answer one question for me."

"What is it?"

"Were you really pretending to be my friend all these years or were you lying about that too?"

At that, my dad actually laughed a little. "Ren, you know I've never been good at pretending stuff. I wouldn't have been able to pretend to be your friend if I really hated you. I was your friend, and once we move past this, I would like to be your friend again."

"Then yes, I forgive you. And yes, we're friends again."

"Arya, we'd like to come back to the pack," Carrie said.

"For the love of God, I thought it'd never happen," Arya replied in exasperation. "I'll help you pack. Elsa, Josilyn, Noah, I know you've been listening in. You can come in now."

We threw open the door. I ran and hugged my dad, saying, "Thank you daddy!"

Elsa hugged her own dad but whatever she said to him, it was too quiet for me to hear. Ren was taken aback by his daughter's show of affection but gratefully went along with it.

"Elsa, Noah, help me pack!" I exclaimed, dragging my best friend and brother over to my suitcase. Arya went to help Carrie and Shiloh pack. Ren shifted into wolf form and fell asleep at the door. Within an hour, we were packed and ready to go. Adne showed up in our apartment, stepping through a portal, ushering us to hurry through before someone saw it from the outside. Shiloh threw our suitcases through the portal before letting everyone jump through. I went first, too excited to see Hunter to think of anyone else going first. Elsa was next, followed by Noah, then Ren, then Arya, then mom, then dad, and finally Adne. While she closed the portal, I ran to Hunter's room, knocking excitedly on his door. He opened it a few seconds later, but it wasn't the greeting I thought it'd be.

"Josilyn," Hunter said, blinking. "What are you doing here?"

"Dad and mom agreed to come back to the pack!" I explained before throwing my arms around his neck. "I missed you so much!"

Hunter remained still. His arms didn't pull me close like they usually did. "Did you?"

I pulled away from him. "What?"

"Did you miss me?"

"Wha- of course I did! I missed you like crazy! I texted you and called you and you didn't respond. I had to call Ember to make sure you were okay since you weren't responding. Why… why would you ever think I didn't miss you?"

"Did you even fight to stay with me?" Hunter asked, hurt filling his eyes.

"I didn't have a choice. Dad didn't give me one," I replied quietly.

"You always have a choice Josilyn. If the positions were switched, and your parents were alphas and I was put in your position, I would've fought with my parents until I could stay with you. But you… you didn't even try to get your dad to let you stay here."

"Hunter-" I began.

"I need to get some work done. I'll see you later." Before I could say anything else, Hunter shut his door. I staggered back in shock, only coming to a halt when my back hit a wall. I stood there for a few moments, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened but I couldn't. I forced myself to go back to my room. Elsa was there, unpacking my suitcase and putting everything where I'd had it before.

"Hey Josie, where did you have this dress? I can't remember," Elsa remarked, turning around. When her eyes landed on me, her face scrunched up in worry and said, "Josie, what's wrong?"

"Hunter… he doesn't think I love him," I sobbed, finally letting all my emotions out.

"What?!" Elsa exclaimed, throwing my dress on the bed and running up to me. "What made him think that?"

"He asked if I… if I even fought to stay with h-him and I told him my dad… my dad gave me no choice," I explained.

"Oh god, my brother's an idiot. He knows the only people who can ever get Shiloh to change his mind is my parents, your mom, and Shiloh himself. Not even Noah can get your dad to change his mind. It's not your fault. Even if you had argued with your dad about it, you wouldn't have accomplished anything except making him even angrier. Don't blame yourself okay? Let me go get some Ben and Jerry's from the kitchen and we'll sit in here and watch movies to distract you okay?"

I nodded, thanking my best friend. Elsa darted out of my room, barely being gone a minute before she returned with the ice cream. "One for each of us. And look! They even had your favorite flavor!"

I gratefully took the thing of ice cream from her. The movies weren't going to distract me much but the ice cream would cheer me up a little. Elsa and I curled up on my bed, putting our feet under the covers, and put on the movie Pride and Prejudice.

* * *

**Hope you liked it! Review please :)**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**One of you, two of them. Love's a bitch."**

* * *

Chapter 32

**Elsa**

I didn't leave Josilyn's side all day. I had Ember bring our dinner. It was about eleven at night when someone knocked on her door. Josilyn called out for whoever it was to come in. To be honest, I thought it was going to be Hunter coming to confess his undying love for my best friend but that didn't happen. The idiot was still ignoring her. Instead it was Dom.

"Hey, Elsa, can I talk to you?" Dom asked.

"Um…" I hesitated because I really didn't want to leave Josilyn in the state she was in.

"Go. I'll be fine. Promise," Josilyn said, nudging me. Reluctantly I listened to her and went out into the hallway with Dom. We walked down the corridor to his room where Noah, Ember, and a girl I'd never met were waiting.

"We're going to get Anna tonight. We leave in half an hour. Get dressed, get whatever you need. I can supply you with some weapons along with Tiana," Dom explained, nodding towards the girl I didn't know. I smiled at her before saying I'd go get ready right now. I dashed out of his room, coming to a sliding stop in front of Spencer's room. I prayed that he was in before I knocked. Thankfully he was. He opened the door wearing nothing but sweatpants. If I wasn't so excited to be going after Anna, I might've actually been distracted by his flawless body.

Pushing him into his room, I shut the door behind us and faced him. Spencer had raised his eyebrows, an amused look on his face. "You know Elsa, last time I had a girl shove me into my room and shut the door, it led to a heavy makeout session."

"Later. Listen, I need your help," I said.

Instantly he became serious. "With what?"

"Okay, this is going to sound completely insane and absurd but after what happened with Callie, I'm more willing to believe this." I then dove into the story about Dom and Anna, trying to explain as fast as I could so I could have time to get ready and so could Spencer. "If Anna really is out there, I don't care what the consequences are for me going to get her. I want my sister back and I would do anything to get her."

"Where are we meeting?" Spencer queried.

"Dom's room. Ember and Noah are already there along with a Weaver named Tiana. They're just waiting for us. They leave in fifteen minutes so we need to hurry. Get dressed and I'll meet you there." Giving him a kiss on the cheek, I went into my room, grabbed a leather jacket, put on a pair of boots, and threw my hair up in a ponytail. I exited my room just as Spencer left his. We went to Dom's room together where they were all waiting for us.

"Why is he coming along?" Noah asked, making a face.

"Why are you?" Spencer countered.

"Okay, let's go," I interjected before the two seconds could get into a fight. Tiana nodded and wove a portal. On the other side of it was a place filled with trees.

"Where exactly is that?" Ember asked.

"Crystal, Colorado," Dom answered. "Let's go."

We stepped through the portal, landing next to a beautiful river with small rapids. Thankfully we ended up on the side next to the house. Dom turned to face all of us and said, "We need to split into groups. Any ideas?"

I spoke up. "You and I go as a pair, then Ember and Spencer, and Noah and Tiana. There's two floors right? So you and I take the top, Ember and Spencer take the bottom, and Noah and Tiana take the outside to make sure no one leaves the place."

"Who died and made you boss?" Noah snapped. "Why can't I go with Ember?"

"Noah, I don't want to argue with you right now. It's best that there's someone in each group that Anna knows so she'll recognize at least one person. I'd put Ember with you instead of Spencer but I want to talk to Dom and if I put Spencer with Tiana instead, then that would be a group of people Anna didn't know and wouldn't trust. For all we know, she won't trust any of us because she probably doesn't remember much of us, if any at all except for maybe Dom. Please do as I say. This is my sister we're talking about." Much to my surprise, Noah mumbled an agreement, not even trying to argue with me. "Thank you, Noah."

He nodded at me but said nothing else. Dom and I entered first, carefully tip-toeing through the house and looking out for any sign of someone living there.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Dom whispered. We were walking back to back so we had three-sixty vision so we couldn't be blindsided by an attack.

"You never told me what my sister was like. I know she's going to be different after all these years but I want to know how different," I said.

"She's calculating, she's sarcastic but knows when not to be, she has a soft side to her to people she cares about. She picked her battles carefully. Most stuff easily rolled off of her but when she did decide to fight something, she never lost. No one could sneak around like she could."

I felt a small smile form on my face. "So I guess even being separated for so many years, we still act relatively the same."

"You do actually. Sometimes I have to remind myself that you're not Anna. Speaking of, let's go find her and bring her home."

* * *

**Noah**

Tiana and I walked around the house. Multiple times I thought I saw a shadow lurking about through the woods but each time it was just an illusion created by the moonlight and the trees. There was something decidedly creepy about this place and I quickly realized it was because this place was so _remote_. There was no civilization anywhere near it. How did anyone who lived here get food? Or water? Or internet?

"Elsa? What are you doing out here by yourself?" Tiana asked.

I glanced back over my shoulder. Elsa was looking like she'd been caught in a clandestine act of some sort. I glanced up and down at her before questioning, "Were you wearing that the entire time?"

Elsa glanced down at her outfit. "Yeah, why?"

"I thought you were wearing a- never mind. What are you doing without Dom? Where'd he go?"

"Oh, we got separated. I'm searching for him now."

"Outside? Don't you think Tiana and I would've seen him if he had gone outside?" I pointed out.

Elsa sighed. "You don't know how stealthy he is. But you're right, you would've caught him. I'll go back inside."

I watched the youngest Laroche trudge back inside. Shaking my head at her weirdness and deciding this whole Anna search was getting to her, I shrugged it off. Besides, it smelled like Elsa so it couldn't be Anna who was talking. A few minutes passed when I heard footsteps behind me and Tiana. We turned around to see Elsa, Dom, Ember, and Spencer walking up to us.

"We couldn't find her," Ember said dejectedly.

"It doesn't make sense," Dom remarked. "I _know_ she's here. She's supposed to be. I figured out the places she was going. She was coming here."

"There was certainly evidence left behind that someone was staying here very recently so maybe we just missed her. We'll keep searching for her, okay?" Elsa said, trying to comfort Dom. He gave a thankful smile.

"Elsa, did you change outfits?" I queried.

"No, I've been wearing this all night," she replied.

"Don't play games with me. I just saw you wearing a brown leather jacket, not a black one."

"Noah, I don't own a brown leather jacket. Why are you asking?"

"Because when you came out earlier searching for Dom, you were wearing a brown one."

Elsa blinked. "I never left Dom's side tonight."

"Yes you did. Tiana and I both saw you," I argued."

"Ember, Tiana, take the outside patrol. Make sure no one escapes past you and if you catch me leaving the house again, detain me. I'll take Dom again on the first floor. Noah, Spencer, take the second floor. Please behave yourselves."

"What's going on?" I demanded as we walked back into the house.

"The Elsa you encountered earlier wasn't me. That was Anna," Elsa explained, barely hiding the excitement in her voice. "She's here. She's actually here. We just need to find her. Now go!"

Spencer and I headed upstairs.

"Why don't we split up?" I suggested, cover more ground, that'll make it harder for her to get past us."

"I don't think splitting up is a great idea," Spencer replied. "If she fights anything like Elsa, we're in trouble alone."

"Please, we're twice her size. Pretty sure we could take them on." Shaking my head, I went into a room, whispering Anna's name so as not to startle her. I heard Spencer open another bedroom door. I peered under and around furniture in that room and found nothing. I moved onto the next. And the next. Each room yielded no sign of Anna. Giving up, I went into the last room where I saw Spencer go in. He wasn't in any of them.

"Spencer?!" I yelled. Elsa appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Noah, what's going on?" she asked.

"Are you really Elsa?" I countered. She glared at me with an expression that clearly she did not have time for my antics. "Yep you're definitely Elsa. Spencer disappeared. I can't find him."

"What do you mean you can't find him?"

"I mean he's pulled a D.B. Cooper and vanished. I know he didn't go down the stairs either."

"Are there any secret passages up there?"

"Not that I found. I checked all the rooms he was in and no such luck."

"Listen, you go search downstairs with Dom. I'll search up here by myself."

"Is that at all safe?"

"If what Dom told me is true, I'm the only one who stands a chance beating her in a fight. Mostly because if it is her, I'm pretty sure she'll stop fighting against the person who looks exactly like her. I'm the best one to be alone. Go. I'll be fine."

"I know we haven't been getting along recently, but promise me you'll be okay."

"I'll be fine Noah. Go tell Dom what's happened." We switched places, her going upstairs and I headed downstairs. After explaining the situation to Dom, we split up searching the first floor. There were less rooms and hiding spots so I was sure that if Anna was hiding down here, we'd find her.

At that moment, I heard a groan from the room across the hall. Running into it, I saw Spencer lying on his back on the floor in front of the fireplace, rubbing his head.

"Dude, what happened to you?" I demanded, kneeling next to him.

"Yeah, splitting up. Great idea dude," he replied, giving me an 'I-told-you-this-was-a-bad-idea-and-you-didn't-listen-to-me' look.

"That doesn't explain what happened."

"I don't know. All I remember is being yanked into the fireplace, it was pitch black, a creepy voice asked me who I was and me being a smartass, I said the person trying to get away from the creepy person who I can't see. Next thing I know I wound up here and woke up to your voice. At least your voice isn't disembodied. It was freaking creepy as hell."

"Yeah, well, we still have to find Anna so let's-" Spencer's gaze shifted from me to something behind me. I felt the hair on my neck stand up. "Something's behind me, isn't it?"

"No. Sudden. Movements," Spencer said quietly.

"Oh that's very reassuring. Thank you," I growled. I slowly turned around and felt my heart speed up. A black wolf stood in the shadows, its teeth bared and hackles raised. Clearly if I didn't pacify them soon, I was a dead man. Or wolf… wolf-man?

"Hey there," I said, raising up my hands. "My name is Noah McKay. This is Spencer Barnes. We're not here to cause trouble. Can you change into a human so we can talk normally? Like civil human beings?"

I stood up completely and that was the wrong move to do. I barely dodged out of the way before the black wolf leapt at me.

"You suck at appeasing angry Guardians, Noah!" Spencer shouted, rolling away from the pissed off wolf.

"Shut up!" I yelled. The wolf charged at me again. Unfortunately I'd backed myself into a corner so I had no placed to run. Halfway through the leap, a white wolf knocked the black one out of the air. They rolled on the ground. Dom pulled me to the doorway. Spencer sidled along the wall, watching the wolves fight as he made his way towards us. Elsa was on top of the black wolf but it kicked her off high into the air. Elsa shifted midway and landed on her feet like a ninja. The black wolf leapt up, immediately getting into attack position. But when they saw Elsa, they stopped baring their teeth. They lowered their hackles. They stood up straight, cocking their head. Elsa never broke eye contact with them, ever so slowly standing up. The wolf transformed and I saw double.

Anna walked cautiously up to Elsa as if she couldn't believe that what she was seeing was her twin. Elsa stood stock still, letting her twin come up to her. Anna placed her hands on Elsa's cheeks, staring at her intently.

"Elsa?" she whispered, her voice catching a little.

At the sound of her name, Elsa let out a relieved laugh. "Anna?"

Both of them began crying tears of happiness as they pulled each other into a bone-crushing hug. They whispered a lot to each other, but the only sentences I heard were "I can't believe it's you" and "I thought I'd never see you again" and "oh my god."

I felt Dom tug at my sleeve. He jerked his head slightly to the door. We silently walked outside, leaving the two girls to have some alone time together.

"Hey, what's going on?" Ember asked. "Where's Elsa? And Spencer, what happened to your head?"

"Anna hit me in the head I think."

"You saw Anna?" Ember asked, instantly standing up straighter.

"Why don't you go see her for yourself?" Dom said. "First door on the left."

Ember darted away. Spencer, Dom, Tiana, and I stayed outside. It seemed like forever before the girls came back out. I'd never really seen Ember cry except for when Anna died and when Caleb ran away. I'd certainly never seen her cry tears of joy. Anna walked in the middle of the two girls, holding their hands. Even being separated for ten years, the twins were identical. The only reason I knew who was who was because I remembered who'd been wearing which jacket.

"Okay, introductions," Elsa began, her voice wavering. I could tell she was trying not to cry. "Anna, this is Noah McKay, mom's second's son."

"Noah… I- I sort of remember you. You jumped out of a closet at me because you were trying to scare Ember but you ended up scaring me," Anna said with a small smile.

"Yeah. You punched me in the gut and broke my ear drums with your scream," I remarked.

"Sorry…"

"This is Spencer Barnes, he's in an allied wolf pack. You'll meet his packmates later," Elsa introduced.

"Hi Spencer, nice to meet you," Anna said, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you too," he told her kindly.

"This is Tiana. She's the one who wove a portal for us to get here. That's her job as a Searcher, a Weaver," Elsa explained. Pleasantries were exchanged between the two of them. "And then you know Dom so I don't think introductions are required there."

Anna's eyes became murderous. She growled, "What are you doing here?" Turning to Elsa, she demanded, "What is he doing here?"

Elsa looked bewildered. "He works for the Searchers. He's the one that told us about you. He's the one that found you. Why?"

"Why would you trust a Hunter?!"

"What?!" I exclaimed.

Dom sighed before correcting, "Ex-Hunter. I didn't know what they were actually planning on doing. They lied to me and being in the position I was in, I needed the money."

"What exactly did the Hunters tell you?" I snarled.

"They told me that there were packs of wolves out there that were serious nuisances. They were smart, cunning, and deadly. They never told me you were half human. I never would've helped them if I'd known that."

"What was your job? Did you ever kill a Guardian?"

"No. Because of my size and build, they deemed me more of an intimidator. They sent me after people who weren't paying their dues. Both me and Anna. Once I figured out what was really going on, I got out as soon as I could. I've been watching out for your pack ever since, not just to help you but also to spite the Hunters. I'm sorry I never told you. I thought you wouldn't believe me about Anna if you knew beforehand."

"I saw we lock him up," I said.

"I second that," Anna agreed.

"No. Dom is telling the truth. He's in the presence of four Guardians and a Searcher. He knows we'd know if he was lying. I can tell you he's not," Elsa defended. "You also kept your promise about finding my sister. For that, I'm willing to ignore the fact that you used to work for the Hunters and believe you've changed. I do suggest telling Babatunde everything though. He's a good judge of character. He'll make the right call with your situation."

"When we get back, I'll ask to speak with Babatunde," Dom promised.

"Speaking of getting back, we've been here a few hours. Someone's bound to have noticed that you're all gone," Tiana pointed out. Everyone agreed to go back. Anna shifted into wolf form. Elsa did too. None of the rest of us did because we knew they wanted a private chat between each other.

Once Tiana wove the portal, we jumped through. The twins went first, followed by Ember, then me, then Spencer, then Dom, and finally Tiana. She closed the portal and bade us goodnight.

"Um, before I see anyone, can I shower? I haven't in days and I feel gross," Anna admitted, glancing down at herself.

"Of course. I have some clothes you can wear. Let's go to my room," Elsa said. The twins started walking away, chattering already and catching up. The four of us watched them leave. Ember intertwined her hand with mine and whispered, "I can't believe she's back."

"It's unreal," I responded.

"I'm going to bed. I'll see you all in the morning," Dom informed. He walked away. Spencer was soon to follow. Ember led me to her room where she curled up in my arms, resting her head on my chest.

"I just hope when I wake up that this wasn't all a dream," she confessed.

I kissed her on the head. "Don't worry. It won't be."

* * *

**Anna is back! Hope you enjoyed the chapter- I know I enjoyed writing it :) Review please!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Just because I'm so happy Anna's back, you get another chapter :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**If you guys were humans, you'd already be diabetic."**

* * *

Chapter 33

**Elsa**

"Elsa, wait," Anna said.

"Everything okay?" I asked, looking at her with worry.

"I-yeah, I'm just nervous. Really nervous. What if I'm not what they expect?"

"You're already not what they expect. You're _alive_, Anna. It'll be fine. Ember's in there trying to get them to prepare themselves. We'll tell the rest of the pack later. But for now I think mom, dad, and Hunter will do."

"What about Caleb? Where's he?"

I bit my lip. The two of us had been so tired last night that I'd been unable to explain everything that had happened to our family, Caleb being included in that.

"Caleb… isn't living with us anymore. It's a long story and sensitive subject so don't bring it up unless they do. I'll explain everything after. Promise."

Anna nodded and I knocked on the door. My mom shouted for me to come in. Anna gripped my hand tightly to the point I thought she might actually break it. I whispered to her that it was okay but that didn't calm her whatsoever. I peered my head around the corner to find my parents and Hunter sitting on the bed. Ember was pacing up and down in front of them. They all looked up at me when I entered.

"Did you ready them?" I asked.

"As best I could. There's no way to announce something like this," Ember said.

"Please tell me you're not pregnant," Hunter said.

"Oh my god no!" I exclaimed. Anna snickered behind me. "Although, I guess you can say our family just got a little bit bigger."

I pulled Anna in front of our parents and siblings.

Ember grinned. "Morning little sisters."

"Morning," we greeted simultaneously.

Mom, dad, and Hunter had gone a deathly shade of white. I felt my twin's anxiety starting to come back again.

"Elsa? Why aren't they saying anything? I thought you said they'd be happy to see me?" Anna said quietly.

"I think they're just in deep shock," I told her. "Mom? Dad? Hunter? You still alive?"

Mom was the first one to gather her wits. She stood up and walked over to Anna. Much like how Anna had done when she first saw me, mom placed her hands on my sister's cheeks, eyes roaming over every inch of her face, taking her all in.

"You're alive?"

Anna nodded. "Hi mom."

At the sound of Anna calling her 'mom', mom broke down, pulling her daughter close to her. That seemed to snap my dad and brother out of their stupor as they quickly went in to hug Anna as well. Ember threw her arm around my shoulder as we watched my family be reunited. I was the only one in the room who knew that our entire family was all in the same building. The last time that had happened was ten years ago.

"I'm so happy this wasn't a dream," Ember said softly.

"I know. It still feels surreal," I admitted.

"I'm going to have to get used to figuring out which one of you is which."

I rest my head on my sister's shoulder. "Thank you for helping me get her last night. I've been a bitch of a sister to you lately. I'm really sorry."

"Don't be. You got put in a bad place. We're better now though and that's all that matters."

"Elsa, how did- what did you- how is she here?" Dad stammered. At this, I gulped. I'd snuck out to rescue her and that meant risking my place in the pack. Noticing my hesitance, he added, "I just want to know how you found her. You're not getting in trouble for this."

"Anna, do you want to help explain?" I queried.

"Where have you been all this time?" Hunter breathed.

"Please don't hate me. For the longest time, I had no choice in the matter." She took a deep breath. "I was working for the Hunters. From what I remember and from what I've been told, when I was taken away from you, they tortured me into forgetting about my life and past. I honestly only really fully remembered Elsa and what she looked like, and then I remembered things about all of you but I slowly forgot what you looked like."

"Dom knew when she was working with the Hunters. He's the one that told us about her," I added.

"He came to me first because I was the easiest to reach. Through me, Noah joined in, then Elsa only knew about it a few days ago. Spencer found out last night when we went to go get her," Ember explained.

"Remind me to thank Dom next time I see him," mom said. Her eyes flitted between me and Anna. "God I just can't get over seeing the two of you together again. I'm so happy not just that you're back Anna, but for you too Elsa. I know how hard it's been on you."

She pulled me into a hug followed by dad and Hunter.

"Thanks mom. The important thing now though is that she's here. We're one big happy family again," I said.

"All we need now is Caleb," Hunter said. "Unless you found him too and haven't told us."

"Very funny."

"Anna, I want to know everything that happened," dad said. "We'll get the Hunters who did this to you. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to stop it."

"It's not your fault dad. From what I heard, they'd been planning on it a long time."

Dad's eyes flared with fury. "Let's sit down. You catch us up on you and we'll catch you up on us and the pack. After that, we'll introduce you back to everyone. For now, I want to be a little selfish and keep you with us if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Anna said. The six of us sat down on the bed in a circle. Anna sat between me and Hunter, opposite mom and dad. Ember sat between Hunter and dad. Getting comfortable, Anna began her story.

* * *

**Spencer**

I was sitting in the kitchen snacking on some chips and talking to Riley and Connor. Riley was raiding the fridge and Connor was drinking beer. Connor was in the middle of taking a sip when Elsa… or maybe Anna, walked in.

"Hey Elsa," Riley greeted, taking a bite out of a banana. "Where have you and your family been all morning? We thought you all died or something."

"Actually, I'm not Elsa," Anna said, giving Riley a bashful smile.

Elsa entered the kitchen, standing next to her sister. "Actually, I am."

Riley screamed, tossed his banana, and ran out of the room. Connor stared at the twins, stared at the bottle, back at the twins, back at the bottle, turned around, and poured the beer down the sink. I snorted.

"Hey Elsa, hey Anna," I said, popping a chip into my mouth.

"Hey Spencer," they said at the same time.

"Elsa? Why am I seeing double?" Connor asked.

"Long story short, Anna was never killed by the Hunters. Dom, Spencer, Ember, Noah, Tiana, and I got her last night," Elsa replied.

"I gathered that." Connor blinked. "I need to wrap my head around this. I'll… see you soon."

"Should someone go get Riley?" Anna queried.

"Um, we should probably go make sure he didn't have a coronary. Spencer, we'll see you later. Have you told Lily and Stark by chance about Anna?" Elsa stared at me curiously.

"No, why?"

"Good. I think it might be better if I break the news."

"True. Listen, I want to see Riley scream some more so I'm going to come help you find him." I got out of my chair and followed the twins. We heard Riley's voice coming from the dining hall. We decided to peer in through the crack in the door.

"I'm telling you, I saw Elsa and Anna _together_!" Riley declared heatedly. Dmitri raised his eyebrows dubiously at his packmate.

"What's going on?" Thea inquired, walking in from one of the doors. Thankfully she didn't see us.

"Anna is back from the dead," Riley said.

"Are you drunk or high or something?"

"No! Anna is back from the freaking dead! Anna walked in and I thought it was Elsa and so I said 'hi Elsa, where've you and your family been, we thought you were dead, yaddi yada yada,' and she goes 'actually, I'm not Elsa' and then Elsa slides in silently without me even noticing and goes 'actually I am' and it likes it was out of the freaking Parent Trap or something!"

Thea snorted. "You do realize what they said is almost an exact line from the Parent Trap movie, right?"

"So you believe me?"

"Anna," Elsa whispered. "Go in and act like me. Spencer, go with her." Elsa darted around the corner. Grinning, Anna and I entered the dining hall.

"What's going on?" Anna piped up, striding up to the group. It was amazing how she could mimic Elsa's personality and movements even though she'd been away from her for ten years. And I'd seen Elsa doing the same thing. It was indescribable seeing them together, having them be around each other.

"Hey Elsa," Dmitri said. "Hey Spencer. Riley is on some shit and is claiming that Anna has risen up from the dead or something like that."

"I'm not on some shit and she's not a zombie or anything like that! She was very much alive and breathing and kicking! And are you really Elsa or are you Anna?"

"Would Anna be with Spencer?" Anna countered easily.

Riley squinted his eyes at her. "Point taken."

Suddenly Elsa appeared behind Riley. No one had seen her come in, not even Thea or Dmitri. Anna and I bit back smiles as Elsa rested her head on Riley's shoulder and said, "Hi Riles."

"Hi Elsa," he replied, not looking at her. He did a double-take a second later, letting out another scream and jumping away from her. Elsa, Anna, and I cracked up. Riley's scream made Dmitri scream. Thea just covered her ears.

"I TOLD YOU! WHAT DID I TELL YOU?!" Riley shouted at the top of his lungs, pointing at Anna but glaring at Dmitri.

"What is all the yelling?" Gracie demanded, coming into the room with pretty much the rest of the Laroche kids behind her. Elsa instantly made her way next to Anna who shifted closer to her sister.

"ANNA IS BACK FROM THE DEAD!" Riley yelled, pointing at the twins. Gracie's eyes settled on Elsa and Anna. She let out a joyous yelp before charging at Anna and pulling her into a hug. The rest of the pack was soon to follow. Josilyn acted the least excited of all which seemed sort of strange. She was smiling and congratulating Elsa about it, but I could tell she was holding back. I snuck over to her and whispered, "What's up with you?"

"Hmm?" she looked up at me.

"You don't seem as cheerful as the rest of them. What's bothering you?"

"I guess it seems selfish but Elsa was practically my sister these past few years, especially after Anna died. I'm just afraid everything is going to change now, that Elsa is going to forget about me," Josilyn confessed.

"Elsa is going to be completely wrapped up in Anna for a bit, and vice versa, but I know the novelty of the whole affair will wear off after a while and Elsa and you will be back to your previous relationship. I mean it won't be exactly the same. Nothing will ever be the same now. But what I'm trying to say is that Elsa will never forget about you. You don't know how much you've helped her these past few years."

"Thanks Spencer." Josilyn smiled at me.

After about an hour of talking and hugging, Elsa said, "She still has the rest of the adults to see and the Starks for introductions. We'll see you all at dinner?" There was a chorus of yeses. Elsa glanced over at me and added, "Spencer, you coming?"

I nodded, making my way over to her. The three of us left the dining hall and headed down to the Starks.

"Okay, who are the Starks?" Anna inquired.

"So you know how I told you Caleb wasn't living with us anymore?" Elsa replied.

"Yes…?"

"Well, long story short, he went after the Hunters because they blew up his compound which killed one of his packmates, or so we thought, and killed Spencer's parents who had taken Caleb in when he ran away from us."

"Why did he run away?"

"After you died, Hunter and Caleb were never on the same page. Hunter always blamed Caleb for your death and Caleb could never move past it, always thinking it was his fault and Hunters insults never helped. They argued almost every day and I'm not talking baby fights. I'm talking shouting, screaming, punching, kicking, biting fights. Caleb got fed up with it and upped and left. He was taken in by the Starks. He came back to Estes Park when he was trailing the Hunters. He had no intention of letting us know he was there because he knew if mom and dad found out he was back, they wouldn't let him leave again."

"But you know he's back?"

"Elsa didn't really give him a choice. Didn't you sneak out at ten at night or something and track Lily down because you knew she was hiding something and threatened to call your entire pack on them?" I laughed.

"Yes," Elsa said bashfully. "Caleb thought it was better for just one person from our pack to know rather than our whole pack so he had Lily let me in and explained everything to me. No one but Baba, Dom, Josilyn, and I know who 'Stark' really is. He never shows himself in human form to the rest of the pack. That's how he's stayed hidden this entire time."

"I can't wait to see him. Maybe him seeing me alive will make him change his mind about staying in Estes," Anna said hopefully.

"Maybe so." Elsa smiled at her sister but I heard the doubt in her tone.

We stopped outside Caleb's door. Elsa knocked on it politely. It was Lily who answered. She greeted us cheerfully, but her smile faltered when she Anna. Her expression turned to one of sheer shock. Slowly she backed away so we could come in.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Caleb questioned when she backed into the room still facing us.

"I'm seeing double," she answered. My alpha scrunched his eyebrows up in confusion as he stood up.

"What do you mean you're seeing double? Are you feeling okay?"

Anna and Elsa had been standing behind me. They stepped out at the same time, flanking me.

"Hi Caleb," Anna said shyly. She was wringing her hands nervously behind her back and I felt sorry for her. I couldn't imagine being gone from my family for so many years with hardly any memory of them only to come back and meet them all again.

"Anna?" Caleb croaked out. When she smiled in confirmation, my alpha pulled her into a hug. I saw tears streaming down his face and it occurred to me I'd never seen my alpha cry. Not when Callie died, not when our house blew up.

I felt Elsa lean her head against my arm. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close. Lily was watching the whole scenario with tears in her eyes. Finally Caleb pulled back and stared at Anna.

"I can't believe it's you," he said.

"That seems to be the norm for today," Anna replied. She looked at Lily. "Are you his girlfriend?"

"I am. I'm Lily Carter," she introduced, holding out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Anna."

"Do mom and dad know? Do Hunter and Ember?" Caleb asked. Elsa nodded. He hugged her tightly. "You got her home?"

"Sort of. I had help. Ember, Noah, Dom, Tiana, and Spencer all came," Elsa answered. Caleb turned to me.

"Thank you for getting my sister back," He said sincerely. "How long did you know about her?"

"About thirty minutes before I went to help Elsa go get her," I admitted. "We were gone for a while, everyone else was asleep, so these two decided to tell everyone in the morning."

"Everyone knows now?"

"No, most of the adults still haven't met me although I'm sure mom and dad have told them by now," Anna said.

"Why don't you go meet them and come back to my room afterwards? We'll celebrate you coming home," Caleb suggested. "We'll have cake, pizza, and soda. Sound good?"

"That sounds amazing!"

"Good." He kissed his sisters on the head. Now go. Go meet everyone so you can get back here as soon as possible. I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

Caleb, Lily, and I watched the two girls leave. Once they were gone, Lily said, "Are you okay?"

"All these years I thought she was dead. I blamed myself for her death but she's been alive and because I couldn't handle the shit Hunter gave me, I screwed over my family. The Hunters are after my family because of me but they don't know that. At least I don't think they do. I mean you remember that prophecy that Baba told us right?"

"How could I forget?" Lily remarked sadly.

"Caleb, I just had an idea," I said, a grave feeling settling into my stomach.

"What?"

"The prophecy, it said that the second born of the Laroches was the one that could either make or break the Guardians. They'll either be the reason we can change people into Guardians again or the person who makes all Guardians lose their power. What if the second born doesn't mean chronological birth order but-"

"But a set of multiples," Lily finished. "You're saying that the Hunters took Anna because they thought she was the second-born twin and thought she was the one of the prophecy but it's actually Elsa."

"Exactly."

Caleb paled. "I don't want it to be her. I don't want another damn thing on her shoulders. Her life is just starting to get good again. I don't want something like this coming along and ruining that for her."

"But if it's a possibility, then she needs to know. If Elsa suspects we're hiding something from her, she'll do everything she can to figure it out, and that could get her into trouble," Lily argued gently.

Caleb sighed. "Then I'll tell her. But not tonight. Tonight, we celebrate."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Review please :)**


	34. Chapter 34

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:**

"**What are you even doing here?"**

**~Calla Tor**

Chapter 34

**Elsa**

Anna and I sat in my room watching a movie on my laptop. Technically Anna had her own room but she hated being alone so she shared mine. After all she'd been through I couldn't blame her but I hadn't realized how used to being alone I'd gotten. I felt terrible when I thought of how I sometimes missed the alone time I'd had.

Halfway through the movie she fell asleep. I wasn't tired so I stayed up but I also didn't want to stay in my room. I opted for a walk around the Academy. Carefully I got up and slipped out of my room, careful not to wake my sister. She never woke up in the middle of the night so I wasn't worried she'd wake up to find me gone. I went straight to the garden where I was surprised to find Josilyn. She was sitting on the bench in front of the fountain, reading a book.

"Hey," I said. "Mind if I join you?"

"Hey… Elsa?" Josilyn replied.

I laughed. "Yeah, it's Elsa."

"I'm going to have to get used to figuring out who's who again. Speaking of the two of you, where is Anna?"

"She's asleep. I wasn't tired so I chose to go for a walk. How are you doing? I feel like I haven't seen you at all."

"I'm okay. It's weird not talking to you every day."

There was something in her tone that told me there was more to what she was saying but she wasn't saying it. "It is. I'm sorry if I haven't been talking to you much with just the two of us. Being with the Hunters has really screwed Anna up. She hates being alone. As long as she's with someone else she's fine, but she tries to stick to my side as much as she can. It's weird having her back. I love it, I just keep expecting her to be gone one morning and find out it was all just a beautiful, wishful dream."

"She's here to stay Elsa. I know you won't let anything happen to her and neither will the pack."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Are you okay? You've been acting different ever since Anna got back."

Josilyn sighed. "Please don't be mad at me when I say I'm worried that with Anna being back, you're going to forget all about me. I mean this is the first time we've really talked since she's been back and it's been a week. I just… I just don't want to lose my best friend."

I took her hands in mine and said, "Anna was- is- my other half. After she 'died', you were the closest thing I ever had to having another half. I don't know what would've happened if I hadn't had you to help me get through Anna's death and Caleb's departure. I owe you so much and you don't even know it. There's no way for me to repay you for all that you've done to help me, but I will spend the rest of my life making sure you are always okay, no matter what the circumstances are. I could never forget you Josilyn. You're my sister."

Josilyn's eyes filled up with tears as she pulled me into a hug. When we pulled away, I asked, "Has Hunter talked to you yet?"

"No… he won't even look at me Elsa. I don't know what to do," she admitted, burying her head in her hands. A plan started formulating in my head at how to get them back together.

"Josilyn, do you trust me?" I inquired.

"Of course, what kind of question is that?" she responded instantly.

"Okay, stay here. I have a plan to get you two back together. Text me if you need anything but this shouldn't take long." Giving her an affectionate rub on the shoulder, I darted out of the garden to the dining hall where a bunch of Searchers were gathered around the fire, exchanging stories, swapping jokes, and chatting about this and that. I was searching for a certain person in particular: Kit Lane. Son of Sabine and Ethan. I found him on the other side of the room staring at his phone.

"Hey," I said.

He looked up, smiling at me. "Hi."

"I need your help with something. You game?"

"What is it?" He shoved his phone back in his pocket and stood up.

"I need your help getting Josilyn and Hunter back together."

He squinted his eyes at me. "All right."

I grinned. "Awesome. Plan Captain Swan is in motion!"

"Captain Swann?" He repeated, following me out of the room.

"Pirates of the Caribbean. You know how Will ended up being Captain and then Elizabeth's last name was Swann and how she and Will were madly in love with each other but did nothing about that until like… the last movie? Well that's kind of what's happening between Hunter and Josilyn right now."

"That sounds more like you and Spencer to be honest."

"Shut up." Kit simply laughed.

**Anna**

When I woke up, Elsa was gone. Panic rose in my chest but I reminded myself I had no reason to be afraid. I was safe at the Academy. I had a family again to protect me and a sister I knew who would never let anything happen to me again within the power she had. And whether I liked or not (I didn't), there was always Dom. I knew he had my back. I tried not to think about him though.

Deciding sleep wasn't going to come easily now that I'd been awake for a few minutes, I decided to get up to go see Ember. I wanted to get to know her more but that'd been difficult between splitting my time between Hunter and Caleb and not telling Hunter why I was spending so much time with 'Stark'. I don't know how Elsa had pulled this off for so long, not slipping up to her family that Stark was Caleb. Mom and dad had briefly mentioned Caleb but I could tell it was almost a taboo subject with them, especially mom. She got the really depressed look in her eyes, even if it was only a fleeting glimpse. I'd been trained by the Hunters to read emotion (among other things) so I could definitely tell how much Caleb's absence hurt her. My feelings towards Caleb were mixed, as they were with Hunter. Why couldn't Caleb deal with Hunter's words? Why did Hunter keep bringing up the past? Why hadn't he been able to let it go?

When I knocked on Ember's door, she answered immediately. After a couple blinks, she said, "Anna! Sorry, I had to figure out if it was you or Elsa. What's up? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you. I didn't wake you up did I?" I replied.

"No of course not. I'm not a night owl like Elsa but I stay up late too. Come on in!" I entered the room and my sister shut the door behind me. "So what did you want to talk about? You and Elsa have the same expression when you need to ask a question about something that's bothering you."

The two of us sat on her bed as I explained, "Elsa told me that Caleb ran away and she told me he and Hunter fought a lot but she never went into detail and I haven't asked Hunter because I think his answer might be biased and I don't want to talk to mom and dad about it because I can tell the memory of it still hurts mom. I wanted your side of it."

Ember gave me a sad smile. "I won't sugarcoat anything. Can you handle that?" I nodded. "All right then. When you died, mom and dad went on a rampage against the Hunters. They wiped all of the ones in Colorado out. They were gone completely. Our house was solemn for a good year. None of us laughed much. Elsa was the worst, which I guess is understandable since you two were twins. She never told me this but I'm pretty sure she knew when you'd 'died' faster than any of the rest of us did. I don't think she knew exactly what happened to you but I'm pretty sure she felt something that day. She barely came out of her room for weeks. She barely ate. The only people who could talk her into doing stuff was Caleb and mom. On occasion dad could. But Hunter and I, it was like we didn't exist to her. Elsa ignored any of our invitations to go out or to do _anything _with us. Hunter and I became close during that time. Caleb was closest to Elsa. I remember hearing her waking up screaming for you and screaming about Hunters. Caleb, even though he was the furthest away from her room, he was always the first to her room, cradling her in his arms and sitting with her until she calmed down. After a while, Hunter and I just never went up. Caleb was there every time for her. Even mom and dad let them be although I would hear them come up every time, they'd leave a little while later because they knew Caleb had a hold of things. As for what drove Caleb away, it was a multitude of things. He was never the same after it. Not only did he almost die the same day you did, but he saw them cut your throat which as you've explained, was a trick by the Hunters. There was this guilt, this burden on his shoulders, that he carried twenty-four-seven. He never forgave himself for what he let happen to you and neither did Hunter who was brutal in his accusations. He was always telling Caleb he wasn't fit to be alpha after what happened. Elsa and I were always caught in the middle. She always took Caleb's side but rarely showed that. I remember one time, Elsa and Caleb had been dragging a deer back to the compound and a mountain lion attacked them, injuring Elsa pretty badly. Caleb got the mountain lion away and carried Elsa back to the house where Hunter demanded what happened. When Elsa explained, Hunter said that Caleb was unfit to be alpha because he couldn't protect one pack member, let alone an entire pack. He said some more stuff that I don't remember but Caleb responded with that everything Hunter was saying, he'd already thought of it himself to which Hunter replied it should've been Caleb who died instead of you. Caleb said he thought of that too and thought about it every day. After that he went upstairs. Ran away a few weeks later. He only took his laptop and some clothes and a duffel bag. He left no note, never called, never emailed, never sent a letter. He just… vanished. We spent weeks searching for him until dad finally decided enough was enough and that Caleb obviously didn't want to be found. That didn't settle well with mom. Her relationship with dad became very strained. Loren was the only one seeming to get through to her which prompted both dad and Melinda to think that maybe the two were having an affair at one point. But they weren't. Loren was just trying a different tactic of getting my mom to agree to what dad had said. Dad had told the pack that the searching for Caleb was meant to stop, and anyone who continued, it would be considered treason. We listened."

Ember stopped talking and I stared at her in shock. My death had led to so much hurt and pain in my family. It caused my brothers to become estranged from one another. It caused Elsa and Ember to be caught in the middle of stuff they didn't want to be in. It caused a massive fight between mom and dad. My death had been a domino effect in my family. A death to fighting to running away to another fight. Although I knew I had no control over it all, I still felt guilty that I'd caused all this. My main worry was Elsa though. Despite my sister's ability to act like she was all right, I knew there was more she wasn't telling me. Whether it was because she didn't think it was important or she was too embarrassed to explain, I didn't know, but I wanted to.

"How did Elsa handle losing Caleb?" I queried.

"Terribly. Whenever I think back to those times, although I try not to, I just remember never seeing her. Much like when you died, she barely came out of her room. It was almost like a depression but she never told us anything, not even mom or dad because I know they would've told me and Hunter so we could help her. If anyone knows the extent of her grief, it'd be Caleb but considering no one knows where he is, that's kind of a dead end."

I tried not think of the fact that Caleb had been found and that he was much closer than anyone realized. My question is why hadn't any of them suspected that Stark was Caleb? Surely they found it suspicious that the Stark alpha _never_ showed his human form in front of any of them?

Deciding to finagle the topic towards that, I asked, "Elsa seems like she's been okay for a while now though. What helped her move on?"

"After your death, it was tae-kwon-do. After Caleb left, it's been dance. She also threw herself into her schoolwork and homework and any other work she could. I think her method of not thinking about you or Caleb was by distracting herself with other things. She was rarely not doing something. So that was her coping mechanism and she seemed to get better. And then about a year ago, she met Spencer. That was really when she began to change. I noticed her smiling and laughing more and at first none of us knew why. We just thought she was really happy. I mean we'd heard of him because he was the only human in dance and Estes Park not afraid to talk to us but we didn't put two and two together about them. He even bantered with Thea and Riley when they were clearly trying to put him in his place. I guess it makes sense why he didn't back down since he's Guardian but we didn't know it at the time. According to Elsa, he and the Starks have been through hell and back. All of them were adoptees. She didn't go into detail but I can tell the reason they were placed with Michael and Elaine Stark was not a good one. Michael and Elaine were Spencer's real parents but he never knew that until the day the Hunters killed them. They hadn't been able to afford him financially when they had him so they gave him to the Searchers. When they could again, they took him back but didn't tell him at first because they thought he was too young to understand. But then they never told him because apparently Spencer had always had this anger towards his parents and the Starks wanted him to love them for who he thought they were rather than for who they really were. Callie, his girlfriend at the time, knew too. He said some things he didn't mean and left. Caleb ran after him, Lily went to go help at a wedding at their hotel business they own. While those three were gone, the Hunters attacked and blew up their house, almost exactly like what they did to our southern compound. I don't remember that and so I doubt you do. But on a lighter note, Spencer's the reason Elsa's changed. They bonded over their similar experiences and I think they helped each other."

"What do you think of the Starks?"

"Why? Haven't you met them?"

"I have. I just don't quite know what to make of them yet. I wanted other opinions," I explained.

"Oh, well, I'll start with Spencer since I know and like him best of the pack. He's sweet and he was rather shy at first but I guess he's much more comfortable around our pack now so he's really come out of shell. Also I think he's beginning to move on from the death of his family. Then there's Lily. I don't know her well. She's very blunt from what I've gathered. She seems nice but her air of superiority ticks me off. I know she's an alpha and all but her superiority seems to be an attitude. At least with Hunter it's because he's extremely protective of the pack. And then Stark, I don't know what to make of him. I like him because he is very protective of Elsa and he cares for her a lot, but then again he's also the reason she got into so much trouble and he has a lot of influence over her for a reason I can't figure out. He's very aloof and elusive. He doesn't eat whenever our pack does. He only eats in his room. If any of my pack sees him, it's as a wolf. Only Elsa knows what he looks like outside of wolf form. I think I saw him once in human form but that was when the Hunters kidnapped Elsa, Josilyn, and Sebastian so I was focusing more on getting to safety than getting a good look at him."

"They were kidnapped?!" I exclaimed. "Elsa didn't tell me that!"

"It was a little bit before you came. There has literally been so much going on that I'm sure it slipped her mind telling you. And just… remember that ever since you've been gone, Elsa has turned into one of those people who keeps everything bottled up inside. She's probably still in the habit and she's so exhilarated that you're back that she probably doesn't want to ruin the mood by telling you anything depressing. I wouldn't worry about it, okay?"

"Okay… thank you Ember. I really appreciate you talking to me," I said, standing up.

"You're always welcome to talk to me." My big sister pulled me into a hug and said, "I'm so glad you're back. I missed you."

"I missed you too," I responded sincerely, wrapping my arms around her. God it felt good to have a family again. I left my sister's room and decided to go back to my room. Well, more like Elsa's. I hated being alone in my room. I hated being alone in general. When I got there, Elsa was back, sitting on her bed and scrolling through something on her laptop. She looked up the second I stepped foot in the room.

"Hey, where'd you go?" she asked.

"I went to go see Ember. I wanted to talk to her, get to know her some more. What about you?" I sat cross-legged on the foot of her bed.

"I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk. I'm also waiting for Josie or Hunter to text me saying they're finally back together. I implemented a plan to get them back together because I'm tired of seeing them miserable without each other."

I smiled. "So Josilyn and Hunter, Thea and Riley is in the works, Dmitri and Gracie, Noah and Ember, and the others are still single?"

"Correct. My bet is that Oliver and Laurel will get together first. He's been trailing her around like a lost pup recently. No pun intended."

"What about you? Who are you into?"

"A guy I can't have," she laughed. "Not only is he leaving once this war is over but his ex-girlfriend also just came back from the dead."

"Sounds like Spencer."

"You would be correct."

"Elsa, any guy who would go with you in the middle of the night with thirty minutes notice to go rescue your thought-to-be dead sister is either family or he's in love with you. Since he isn't family, it has to be the latter."

"I never said he didn't like me back, and we were willing to try and long distance relationship after the war maybe but now that Callie's back, it's different."

"Why are you putting someone else's happiness before your own? Let alone a girl you don't even know?"

"Because it's easier for me to solve other people's problems than my own. Like Hunter just texted me saying he and Josie are back together. I saw their problem and I fixed it."

"What exactly did you do?"

Elsa grinned and was about to explain when someone banged on our door. We glanced over at the door, then at each other, and back at the door before getting up. Elsa opened the door. Barry stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey you two, there's an emergency meeting in the foyer. Some Guardian just showed up," he explained.

"A Guardian? What kind?" I asked as we started heading to the foyer.

"Wolf. She's beaten up really badly but she's conscious. Seems to know Stark and his pack but she's not saying much."

I felt Elsa stiffen but Barry didn't notice. My sister asked, "Do you know her name?"

"Uh… Carly or Candy or something like that."

"Callie?"

Barry looked at her. "You know her?"

Elsa grimaced slightly. "That's Spencer's ex-girlfriend."

**Hope you enjoyed :) Reviews would be wonderful!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Staring at the wreckage of the life we could have had, I knew it wasn't about love or Shay or the Searchers now."  
****~Calla Tor**

* * *

Chapter 35

**Arya**

Being at the Academy brought back memories, both pleasant and unpleasant. Not much had been added on to the Academy but it had definitely had been refurnished and modernized. I'd tried to go to the garden but Elsa and Josilyn had been speaking to each other and I hadn't wanted to interrupt. Instead I went to the roof garden. Not many people knew about it. I'd discovered it early on after my family had taken shelter with the Searchers. My parents thought I never left my room but that wasn't true. In fact I left frequently, but only at night when I knew I wouldn't be bothered. The garden was always too busy. It'd only taken a night or two of exploring to find the secret way up there.

By the scents I picked up, Babatunde, Connor, Adne, Ethan, and Sabine were the only ones who knew about the place. But there was another one I was rather surprised to smell: the mysterious Stark alpha. However, since I didn't hear anything on the roof, I assumed he wasn't there. I sat on a rocking bench that overlooked the lilies and a small pond. They'd always been my favorite flower. Ren got them for me for our anniversary every year, a different kind or color each time.

I sat in deep thought, thinking about everything my family had gone through, coming to terms with Anna being back (which I am indescribably thrilled about) and wondering how Elsa was doing as I hadn't talked to her much recently. It seemed she was always keeping to herself or hanging out with Spencer. She hung out more with the Stark pack than she did her own, and it terrified me that I might lose her to them. I wasn't worried that they couldn't take care of her. I saw how protective they all were of her, especially Spencer. I still couldn't decide if I thought him brave or stupid when he stood up to our entire pack to protect her when Noah had bitten her arm. I guess it was a mix of both.

I worried about Hunter. He seemed to be carrying a lot of weight on his shoulders and his breakup with Josilyn hadn't helped. He hadn't confirmed it was a breakup but I could tell more or less what it was. Poor Josilyn was distraught over it as well.

Then there was Ren. He was terrified of losing more pack members and he wasn't the only one. Despite him and Shiloh making up, my second's words had gotten under my husband's skin in a bad way. On more than one occasion Ren had woken up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat from the sheer terror he experienced in his nightmares. I had no idea how to help him. All I could do was stay up with him until he fell asleep.

At that moment, I heard the sound of footsteps lightly treading on the ground. So soft I almost couldn't hear them.

Almost.

"Who's there?" I demanded, standing up. For a few seconds, there was nothing. But then a Guardian appeared, one I recognized only by scent.

"Oh, it's just you," I said, silently relieved it was just the Stark alpha. "Come up here to think too?"

Surprisingly, he nodded his head.

"You wouldn't happen to want to talk would you?" I asked. "You know, human to human? Maybe wolf to wolf?" He shook his head. I sat back down on the bench but my eyes remained on him. "Why do you stay as a wolf around us? You're either an extremely shy alpha, or you're hiding something. I'm pretty sure my latter guess is correct, so what gives? Did you commit treason with your previous pack? Are you on the run from police? Did you kill someone?" He shook his head at everything. With a sigh, I continued, "Are you in the witness protection program? Do you not want someone to find you?"

Surprisingly, the wolf nodded, prompting me to ask my next question because I wanted to know how common it was in Guardian families. "Did you run away from home?"

Stark nodded.

"Bad family life?"

He did a semi-nod, semi-shake of his head, which I interpreted it as, "Sort of?" I was correct. I rested my elbow on the back of the bench and rested my head on my fist. "You know, I had a son who was a run away. His name was Caleb."

At the sound of this, the wolf trotted up to me. Shockingly he jumped up on the bench and sat down, staring at me intently, as if fully planned on listening to my story. I don't know why, but I began spilling out the story. "Caleb was fifteen when he ran away. He'd just finished his freshmen year of high school. A few years before, Hunters broke into our house and killed one of our daughters, Anna. Or so we thought. Anna being downstairs right now is proof they didn't. But at the time, we thought she'd passed away. It devastated our family, and I believe Elsa and Caleb dealt with it the worst of the kids. Elsa because Anna had been her twin and Caleb because he'd witnessed it all. He'd only been twelve when it'd happened and he'd been up against three big Hunters. He stood no chance. Even an adult Guardian would have had trouble defeating that many by their lonesome. But the death caused trouble between Caleb and Hunter and they got into nasty fights. It drove Caleb away. I knew he always felt guilty about Anna's death and I tried to help him as best I could but he never told anyone what he was feeling. He got that from me though. In fact he and Elsa both did. Hunter and Ember are more vocal about their thoughts and feelings. Anna was always in the middle although now I'm not so sure about her. I always thought, and I still to this day, believe I should've done more to help him. I should've… done more to help him get rid of that guilt because it _wasn't his fault_. He never believed that though, even whenever Elsa told him. After he ran away, he never contacted us… no note saying where he was going, no phone call or email to say where he was, nothing. For the longest time, I thought he was dead. For the longest time, I thought I'd never get to hear my son's voice again or that I'd get to see the man he grew up to be. Then one day, someone left me a note saying to call this number. All it said was call the number, make sure no one's around when you do it. And you know who it was? It was friends of my son. I didn't get to speak to him directly. I guess he wasn't there, and he never called back, which hurts, but I get it. Caleb didn't leave a note behind or contact us for a reason. He didn't want to be found. He still doesn't. But I got to relay a message to him, pretty much what I'm telling you now, and I have to believe that the people I talked to gave that message to him…"

Stark nudged my face with his cold, wet nose. I wiped my hand over the place he'd nudged to find tears streaming down my face. I chuckled in disbelief. "I haven't cried since Caleb left. Sorry for dropping all of that on you. Especially what you've been through. Babatunde didn't go into detail but he told me you and your pack had had your compound blown up and that your parents, or I guess adoptive ones, and a friend were killed. You, Spencer, and Lily were the only survivors. I'm very sorry. I know better than anyone what it's like to lose someone like that. If you or Lily or Spencer ever need anything, you can always come to me. And when I say come to me, I mean come to me. Don't go to Ren. He still doesn't trust any of you."

Stark cocked his head as if asking, "Then why do you?"

"Despite the fact you put Elsa in danger by letting her sneak out at night when Hunters are after us, you're still extremely protective of her and I know you'd never do anything to hurt her intentionally. I owe you for saving her life back when the Hunters took her and Josilyn and Sebastian. Spencer too. Your pack, it's small, but it's strong. To be honest, I get why you stay in wolf form. It makes it harder for the Hunters to determine whether you're a Guardian or an actual wolf, harder to hunt you down. Lily and Spencer don't though so it's just you that's hiding. Pardon me if I sound impertinent in asking this, but I want to know, did you ever contact your family after they left?"

Stark shook his head.

"Do you miss your family? The one you ran away from?"

He nodded.

"Why did you never go back or contact them?" I didn't expect him to answer me but surprisingly, he jumped down and grabbed a stick that had fallen off a tree. Dipping one end of the stick into the pond, he pulled it back out and spelled his answer out.

"Too painful," I read out loud. I felt sorry for the poor alpha but then another question popped into my head. "Too painful for them? Or you?"

He spelled out with his stick, "Both."

Putting the stick down, Stark jumped back up onto the bench next to me and lay down. I hesitated before placing my hand on top of his head. He put his head on my lap, letting out a small whine. I could feel the pain, the sadness radiating off of him. It mimicked my own pain, the pain felt from the loss of family. A feeling I was too familiar with and one I knew I'd be feeling again before this war was over.

"Stark, I know you ran away from your family for a reason, and I believe it was a good one, but speaking from experience, if you were close to anyone in your family, your mother, your father, a sister, a brother, a pack mate, give one of them a call. Let them know you're okay. Let at least one of them know you're alive and well, okay? I'm not your alpha so I know can't make you do anything, but I highly suggest it. Who knows, maybe it won't be as painful as you think," I said.

Stark sat up and jumped down. I sighed, thinking I'd ruined whatever 'bond' we'd created until he started pawing at my phone. Curiously, I took it out of my pocket. He took it into his mouth and disappeared into the brush. I waited impatiently, wanting to know what he was doing with my phone. About ten seconds later, he came trotting back with my phone in his mouth. Stark dropped it into my lap. On my phone screen was a number.

"Who's number is this?" I inquired. Unsurprisingly he didn't answer. All he did was nudge the phone closer to my hand. Giving him a dubious glare, I hit dial and put the phone up to my ear. It rang a few times before going to voicemail.

"Hey, this is Caleb, I'm either not in right now or I can hear my phone ringing and can't find it so call back two or three times just to be sure. If I don't answer after three tries, I'll get back to you." I hung up before the tone beeped for me to leave a message but I called back immediately. It went to voicemail again. I called once more.

No answer.

I called again.

And again.

And again.

I called over ten times not just because I was hoping Caleb would answer, but because I couldn't hear enough of his voice. I never left a message in fear that if he knew it was me, he wouldn't call me back. Maybe if he thought it was an emergency because this number, my number, had called so many times, he'd call back.

Stark sat and stared at me. All I could do was choke out a thank you before I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Arya, nice to see you," Babatunde greeted. I yanked away from Stark in surprise. I hadn't heard Baba coming up. His eyes landed on Stark. "And Mr. Stark. I'm surprised to see you around the Laroches. As I recall, you don't exactly like being around people besides your pack mates."

Stark let out a low growl causing the Academy leader to chuckle. "No worries Stark, your secret is safe with me. But I did come for the two of you because we have a situation on our hands. Arya, considering your daughter is extremely close to Spencer, this might be hard for her-"

"Is he dead?" I asked immediately.

"No, but a certain someone has appeared. Stark, this will pertain to you. It's Callie Hart. She's back."

* * *

**Review please :)**


	36. Chapter 36

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Oh gods! My eyes! My innocence!"  
****~Connor, **_**Bloodrose**_

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Chapter 36

**Josilyn**

After Elsa left, I went back to reading my book. The next time I heard footsteps, I knew it wasn't my friend. They were too heavy. In fact, you could really never hear Elsa walking so if you could, you knew it wasn't her. I turned to face the new visitor. He was a tall, dark-haired Searcher. When his eyes landed on me, he flashed me a smile.

"Hi there," he said.

"Hi," I replied nervously.

"I'm Nick. You're part of the Laroche pack right?"

"Yeah, I'm Josilyn. I'm Ren's second's daughter."

"You're Shiloh's daughter? Wow, your temperament is so different from your fathers," Nick laughed.

I smiled. "My brother got that gene. I inherited my mother's temperament. So what's your job as a Searcher?"

"I'm a Striker," he answered, sitting on the bench with me. I pulled my legs up closer to my chest. This guy, while he seemed nice, was still kind of creeping me out.

"What are you doing out here? I don't come across many people this time of night unless it's one of my pack."

"Thought I'd go for a walk. It was getting too stuffy in the dining hall. What about you? What book are you reading?"

"Oh, um, I didn't want to read in my room. And I'm reading _Anna Karenina_. Elsa recommended it to me. She had to go do something but she should be back soon."

"Hopefully not too soon. I'm enjoying talking to you, and considering you're always with your family, that's kind of hard to do."

I shifted uncomfortably on the bench, pulling out my phone and texting Elsa an 'SOS' message. "She texted me saying she'll be here in a couple minutes. She had to go talk to her brother. As for me always with my family, it's a pack mentality. None of us really go anywhere without one of the others. And that's not just because we're being hunted. We do it when we're not being hunted too."

"Do you ever get tired of constantly being surrounded though? Surely you like alone time?"

"No, I like being with my pack mates pretty much constantly. I mean not all of us are like that. I know Elsa, Gracie, and Diana like to be by themselves. But other than that, the whole pack likes being together."

"So why were you out here alone when I came around?"

"Like I said, I'd been talking to Elsa. She had to go talk her brother really quick."

"Wasn't she supposed to be here by now?"

"Um, no. She still has a few minutes," I lied.

"This is going to sound really straightforward so please forgive me, but you are absolutely stunning," Nick complimented.

I blushed. "Oh, thank you. You're handsome yourself."

He smiled. "You're cute when you blush."

"So do you have a boyfriend? I heard you were dating the Laroche alpha but I never see you two together."

"Um, we're-"

"Hey, there you are. I've been searching all over for you," Hunter said, walking up to me and giving me a kiss. While I was glad he was here, there was no mistaking why he was here. Someone was moving in on his mate, and he was here to make sure the newcomer knew his place. It was an unmistakable act of dominance and possession.

"Hey you," I said breathlessly.

Hunter stood up and looked at Nick. "Who's this?"

"I'm Nick Landry. I found Josilyn out here and thought I'd give her some company."

"I can relieve you of that. Josie, your favorite show is about to come on. I thought you'd want to come watch it," Hunter said.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, jumping up. Hunter took my hand in his. Smiling at Nick, I told him it was nice to meet him even if it really wasn't and that he had seriously creeped me out. Hunter led me out of the garden back to my room, which was situated right next to his.

"Thank you for getting me out of that," I said.

"You're welcome," Hunter replied. "Good night Josilyn."

"Really?" I finally asked. "You come to my rescue, give me that… that kiss, and then just tell me good night? Hunter, what did I do that has made you hate me?"

He turned around. "I don't hate you Josilyn. Far from it. I'm madly in love with you. But you tell me all the time that I deserve someone better than you and that makes me believe you're trying to… I don't know, find a way out of the relationship. I can't get any better than you because you _are_ the best there is. So I guess I'm going to be a lone alpha because if I can't be with you, then I don't want to be with anyone else."

"Hunter, I do want to be with you. I've been saying those things because I believe them to be true because I can't keep up with you Hunter, my health is terrible even if we do have it under control, and I feel I'm holding you back."

"You have never and will never hold me back. Unless you ask me not to do something. Then I'll hold back, but other than that, there's no way you can."

I shuffled on my feet. "Elsa told me what you told her, about how you didn't care if you had kids or not. Is that true?"

"Yes, and I told you that as well. Why believe her and not me?"

"Because she had the bright idea to listen to your heartbeat when you said it… I'm sorry, Hunter. For everything."

"Me too. Do you forgive me for being an ass?"

"I'll always forgive you," I said. Hunter grinned before pulling me into a kiss. It'd been way too long since he'd kissed me like this and I missed it. I grabbed his shirt in my fists, trying to bring him closer even though that was kind of physically impossible. He got the message though and pinned me against the wall.

We would've kissed for ages had someone not cleared their throat. Hunter growled at being interrupted. He pulled away and faced the intruder. My brother stood there, his eyebrows raised and a smirk on his face.

"Sorry for interrupting you sticking your tongue down my down sister's throat, but we have a situation in the foyer," Noah said.

"Unless it's Hunters or someone's dying, I don't think it's more important than Josie right now."

"Does a heartbroken sister count? Because that's what's about to happen to Elsa. Spencer's ex just came back from the dead and she's in the foyer. She's a wreck."

"Hunter, we need to go," I said, taking his hand in mine.

"I really wished I didn't agree with you at the moment. Come on." Hunter, Noah, and I ran to the foyer. I was glad it wasn't far from our rooms because even that short distance of running had me huffing and puffing.

When we arrived, we were one of the firsts. Lily was kneeling next to Callie who was sobbing. My heart went out to her. She was beaten terribly and I could only imagine the pain she was in. Mom, dad, Loren, Shiloh, Carrie, and Melinda were there. Thea, Riley, Dmitri, and Sebastian were there too. However, the rest of the pack showed up barely a minute later. Spencer and Stark were the last to show up, skidding to a halt next to Lily. Callie looked up at the former, cried out his name, and leapt into his arms. Spencer would've fallen backwards had Dom not steadied him. Callie pulled away briefly to give Spencer a kiss (who seemed utterly shocked by it) before she rambled about how much she missed him and how sorry she was for hurting him and all this other stuff that made no sense. I glanced over at Elsa. Despite her phenomenal acting skills, even she couldn't hide the hurt this time. I saw the sadness wash over her. I wanted to go over and comfort her but I knew Anna had it under control. Besides, it would probably draw attention to us and I knew she wouldn't want that.

"What is going on?" Babatunde asked, striding into the room with Braeden behind him.

"Baba, this is our pack mate Callie Hart," Lily introduced. Callie looked over at the head of the Academy but stayed glued to Spencer's side. "Callie, this is Babatunde."

"Hello Miss Hart. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard many things about you," Baba said.

"Nice to meet you," Callie said shyly.

"Come, let's get you to the infirmary, help you get those injuries healed faster. We can introduce you to the rest of the people here later. Lily, Stark, you two come too. Spencer, would you be so kind as to go get some food for Miss Hart here? I'm sure she's starving. Take someone with you perhaps," Baba suggested.

Spencer almost instantly looked over at Elsa but I was surprised when he said, "Dom, mind helping grab some food?"

"No problem," Dom said, staring at him curiously. Our group started dispersing after Callie went away. I decided to take that chance to go see Elsa but she was already half way down the hallway with Anna holding her hand.

Hunter and I headed back to his room. We got into bed and I curled up in his arms, silently glad there were no other girls I had to worry about losing Hunter to.

"Do you think Elsa will be okay?" I asked.

"She always is, isn't she?" Hunter responded.

"Yeah… and I mean she has Anna and Stark to take care of her now too."

"What do you think Stark's interest in Elsa comes from? You don't think he's in love with her do you?"

"No!" I exclaimed, shuddering at thought of Caleb being in love with his little sister. Gross. "No, I know Stark is really protective of her after what she's done to help Spencer and what she's been through with family and stuff. They're similar, that's all."

Hunter sighed. "I just wish she'd tell me things. She always told Caleb things over me and now she's telling things to Stark over me." He gave a small chuckle. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Stark _was_ Caleb, but I think I'd know if my own brother was here. Come on, let's get some sleep. We'll check on Elsa in the morning."

Hunter kissed me before turning out the light. All I could think of was what would happen if I told Hunter about Caleb? He'd either be glad his brother was back or he'd try and go kill him. Caleb wasn't here to rain on Hunter's parade as alpha. If he was, he would've made his presence known by now. But it wasn't my place to tell. Caleb wanted to keep his identity a secret and I was going to respect that. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to fall asleep.

* * *

**There's your chapter SACarter. Now I want my Secrets chapter! Review please :)**


	37. Chapter 37

**I know I'm supposed to be following a specific order but I have so much planned for Elsa and Spencer that I can't wait! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Be with me. Tell me it's what you want."  
****~Ren Laroche**

* * *

Chapter 37

**Dom**

I followed Spencer to the kitchen. I trusted the guy, but he seemed to be in a particularly volatile mood with his clenched fists and resting bitch face so I chose not to say anything to him. However, once we got into the kitchen, Spencer broke the silence. "Ask me what you want to. I can tell you have questions."

"Why choose me? Of all people in that room, why did you ask me to accompany you?" I queried.

"Because I figured you had experience in an upset Laroche and I could use your help."

"And none of the other Laroches could help with that?"

"I meant romantically. The only ones I could ask are Riley, Caleb, Thea, Arya, and Ren. Riley isn't serious enough to give me solid advice, Caleb doesn't want me dating his sister, Arya and Ren don't want me dating their daughter, and Thea isn't close enough to Elsa to give me advice on it. You dated Anna who is practically Elsa. I know you two went through a rough patch. How did you get past that?"

"To be honest, the Laroches know how to hold grudges. I was accused of cheating by Anna because she caught me in a very bad position. I'd been training with another Hunter, and she swiped my feet from under me. She pinned me to the ground and kissed me right when Anna walked in. She never forgave me no matter how many times I told her what happened. I don't really have a chance of getting with Anna again because of what happened, but you and Elsa are in a precarious position. You're in a limbo between being friends and being significant others. She's hurt. I don't know if you saw it but I don't think it had dawned on Elsa just how serious you and Callie were about each other before the accident until she saw Callie's reaction to you. Give her some space. I'm sure she doesn't want to be around you just yet. She'll come to you when she's ready. Now, I think Callie is going to have her fill of crackers if you don't stop taking them off the shelf. Focus, Spencer."

"Sorry…" he grumbled, putting eight of the ten boxes of crackers back on the shelf. The two of us went back to the hospital wing where Callie was currently getting blood from Lily. Caleb sat next to his girlfriend.

"-and then the last thing I remember is jumping out a window into the water and swimming to shore. I somehow ended up here. I think I was drawn here because once I remembered my pack, I knew- Spencer!" Callie exclaimed.

"Hey Cal," he greeted, walking over to her. "Dom and I brought some snacks for you."

"Thank you!"

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better thanks to Lily and Caleb and now that you're here."

"Hey, I'm going to leave the three of you alone. Callie, I look forward to seeing you again. Get some rest," I said. I left and headed to the training room. It was the one place in the academy that I actually felt like I belonged because I knew everything about everything in that room. Usually at eleven at night, no one was in there. This time I was wrong. Elsa and Anna were there sparring. I'd forgotten just how good my ex was at fighting, whether it was as a wolf or as a human. She had a ferocity unparalleled by many, but Elsa was one of those who matched Anna completely. They were perfectly synchronized, as if they knew exactly what the other was about to do. I stood in the doorway, mesmerized, until Elsa halted the session.

"Hey Dom, how long have you been standing there?" Elsa asked, unwrapping the tape around her hands.

"Long enough to know that I never want to get in a fight with either of you. I was coming up here to train but I don't want to interrupt. I'll come back later."

"Oh no, it's fine. Anna and I were almost done. I need to go shower anyway."

"Then if you wouldn't mind, may I speak with Anna?"

"Yeah, of course," Elsa replied. Turning to her sister, she said, "I'll see you back in the room."

Elsa headed out of the room. I could tell Anna wanted to go with her but I also knew Anna would stand her ground. She liked to assert her dominance, and when it came to me, she would never show weakness of any kind.

"What do you want to talk about?" Anna questioned emotionlessly.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," I admitted.

"In what context?"

"When are you going to forgive me Anna?" I leaned against one of the weapons table, staring at her. "When are you going to believe me when I say I did not cheat on you?"

"When you actually have proof."

"Two years Anna. We were dating two years, and you never had any problem trusting me. What changed?"

"You really want to know? Fine. It was the fact that I found out you knew who and what I was and who my family was when you _knew_ I'd been trying to find them. Why did you keep them hidden from me?"

"Because the Hunters found out I knew and threatened to kill you if I told you," I retorted. "I wasn't risking your safety. I was going to find another way for you to get to your family but you left before I could enact my plan. I thought my safest bet of finding you was to find your family and watch out for them. And while I do care for your family, I care about you more and I thought that if I found them, then I'd find you, and if you found out that I'd been protecting them, you'd forgive me and we could, I don't know, go back to at least being friends and not this… this thing we're in now. I'm still as much in love with you as ever and I don't know what to do to convince you that I never cheated on you, I never would, and never will."

There was a tic in Anna's jaw. "Maybe if I hadn't found out that my family was still alive, that my family was still out there, it might've worked out between us. But I'm a Guardian, you're a human. It would never work out between us. We can't be together for the sheer fact we're two different species. I'm sorry Dom."

My heart dropped into my stomach. "Then can we at least become indifferent acquaintances and maybe work towards being friends again?"

She hesitated but agreed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go see how Elsa's doing. Seeing Callie and Spencer hurt her, more for the fact that Spencer seemed to have glossed over just how serious he and Callie had been in their relationship."

"I'll walk you back to your room. Mine is on the way," I offered. The two of us walked towards our rooms.

"Elsa will be okay, Anna. And Spencer knows he hurt her. He's beating himself up over it."

"Good. He should. He never should've led her on like that."

"In his defense, he didn't know his ex-girlfriend was alive when he fell in love with Elsa."

"Is he really in love with her? Or is she just a rebound girl?"

"He's definitely in love with her. I don't know how I know, I just do. Tell Elsa I say hi and if she needs anything, I'm always available. We bonded pretty quickly over the sheer fact we both wanted to find you. Good night Anna."

* * *

The next morning, I made my way down to the dining hall for breakfast. The Laroche pack was already down there, chowing down. I grabbed a plate, filled it with food from the buffet, and sat down on the opposite end of the table, as far away from the pack as possible. They still didn't trust me with the exception of Elsa and Ember, and partially Anna. I wasn't going to force myself on them.

Barely thirty seconds after having sat down, two shadows loomed over me.

"What are you doing over here?" a girl queried.

"I swear we don't bite," an identical voice added. I looked up to find Elsa and Anna smiling down at me. After a moment of analyzing, I decided Anna was on the right and Elsa was on the left which meant Elsa had spoken last. "Mind if we sit with you?"

"Only if your family doesn't mind," I said.

"You're on our side. They don't mind. They may not like it, but they won't mind," Anna explained. The two girls sat down. Anna sat next to me, Elsa on the other side of her. Arya and Ren gave me a wary sideways glance but allowed their daughters to continue sitting with me.

"So where did you go last night? You weren't in the room when I came in," Anna said.

"I went to go see Josilyn. She'd texted me asking if I could come see her," Elsa replied, taking a bite of her toast.

"What'd she want?"

"Just to see how I was doing after last night. Guess I didn't hide my emotions as well as I thought I did."

"No, you didn't," I said.

"Hey!" she laughed. "You weren't supposed to agree!"

Suddenly everyone went quiet. I turned my head towards where the Laroche pack was looking. I was greeted with the sight of Lily, Callie, and Spencer standing in the doorway.

"Laroche pack, I would like you to formally meet our pack mate, Callie Hart. Callie, this is the Laroche pack," Lily introduced.

"Hi," she said shyly. No one moved a muscle, no one said a thing. I began feeling bad for her because I knew everyone in the Laroche pack hated her for the sheer fact she was holding on to Spencer when they very well knew how much Spencer meant to Elsa. Spencer himself kept his head down, but I saw him peek up once in a while at Elsa.

I was about to give in and introduce myself first when Elsa stood up. Walking over to Callie, she said, "Hi, my name's Elsa. It's a pleasure to meet you. Spencer, Lily, and Stark have told me so much about you. It's nice to meet the girl I've heard so much about. Why don't you three sit next to me? There's space for all of you."

"Nice to meet you too," Callie replied hesitantly.

"We'll take you up on that offer," Lily agreed. Spencer smiled gratefully at Elsa but she'd already turned around to take her seat. Anna growled low in her throat at the newcomer who whirled around and demanded, "What's your problem?"

"Anna!" Elsa chastised quietly.

"Sorry," Anna said emotionlessly. "You remind me of someone I used to know. Someone I didn't like."

"Well I'm not her so don't growl at me again," Callie snapped.

"Callie, don't speak to her like that. The Laroches are our allies and we will treat them as such," Lily scolded. "It was a mistake and she apologized for it. Move on."

"Since when are you all buddy-buddy with the Laroches? I thought you didn't like them."

Lily snarled which shut Callie's attitude down. "I said I don't agree with everything they do and neither does Stark, but that doesn't mean I don't like them. Now when I tell you to move on, you move on."

"Come on Cal, sit between us," Spencer suggested. She listened but not before glaring over at Elsa who didn't see it. She was studiously focusing on eating the food on her plate.

"Actually, I'd rather not. None of them want me here," Callie mumbled.

"Honestly, I don't think they want any of us here," he joked.

"I love you Spencer!" Riley shouted. Gracie slapped him on the arm but he ignored her, grinning impishly at the Stark beta.

"Love you too bro!" Spencer winked at him.

"Hey Callie, the only reason you're getting the vibe we don't like you is because you're moving in on El-" before he could finish his sentence, Elsa threw a sausage at her pack mate. "Hey!"

"It slipped," Elsa lied. Most of the pack started laughed. Even Ren bit back a grin. Elsa gave Riley a warning glance though that clearly said any mention about her and Spencer's relationship was not to be mentioned in front of Callie. Everyone saw it too. Unfortunately, Callie wasn't dumb. She knew what Riley had been going to say.

"Did you two- did you two date?" Callie stammered, her eyes flitting between Spencer and Elsa.

"No, we didn't," Elsa answered hastily. "Spencer and I became very close friends and some of my pack mates misinterpreted that as us fancying each other."

"They're also trying to rile you up," Spencer added. "They like to do that. I've been on the receiving end, especially from Riley here."

"If that's true, why did your heartbeat speed up?" Callie demanded. "You two did date didn't you?! We dated for seven years and you move past me in less than a year? What the hell?!"

The red-headed Guardian stormed off. Spencer ran after her. Elsa got up and followed them, as did Lily. It took only a moment's hesitation before Anna went after her sister, and me being me, I went wherever Anna did.

We found Spencer and Callie arguing in the hallway.

"Seven years! Seven years we dated and you go for that little blonde bitch?!" Callie hissed.

"Don't you dare call her names when you don't even know her!" Spencer growled. "She's the reason you're even alive. I had a gun pointed at your head and if it hadn't been for her, I would've taken the shot. If anything, you owe her."

"She owes me nothing," Elsa claimed, walking up to them. Lily stood next to her.

"What, did she replace me as omega too?" Callie snapped. Anna snarled, which made Callie look at us. "Oh great, you brought the whole damn family."

"I'm not replacing you in any way. I'm not part of the Stark pack and I did not date Spencer. I'm not going to lie to you. We came close to dating but the moment I found out you were alive, I backed off. He was your boyfriend before and until you two decide what your relationship status is, Spencer and I are nothing but close friends. As for calling me an omega, the only reason I'm an omega in my pack is because I broke a lot of rules helping out your pack."

"Callie, let's get breakfast to go and go for a walk. I'll explain what's happened since you've been gone to help you understand why some things happened the way they did," Lily said, although it was obvious Callie didn't have a choice in the matter. After ordering Spencer not to come with them, the two Starks left. We watched them leave and it was only when they were out of sight did Elsa say, "Spencer, a word. Now."

She walked off, heading towards the garden. Spencer gave me a 'help' look because we both knew an angry Laroche was a dangerous Laroche. I shrugged though, shoving him towards her. Anna and I watched them go.

"I want to know what happens," Anna whispered.

"Then for old time's sake, let's go watch him," I said. She and I tiptoed to the garden. Anna turned into a wolf and I was actually jealous of her at that moment because she could change colors to blend into any surrounding she wanted. I typically wore black so I was usually safe when it came to camouflage but still, it would be nice to be able to be a wolf whenever you wanted.

Anna and I crept into the garden, hiding in some bushes next to the door so we could make a quick escape if need be. Spencer stood in front of Elsa who was pinching the bridge of her nose. It was dead silent in the garden, making me fear that if I breathed, the two of them would hear me and then we'd be in big trouble.

"Say something," Spencer said.

"I don't know where to begin Spencer. Between your girlfriend coming back from the dead, having her hate my guts, and finding out that you dated her a lot longer than you let on, you tell me where to begin," Elsa said in exasperation.

"She's not my girlfriend, not anymore. I broke up with her before she 'died', and that hasn't changed, even if she thinks it has. Yes, we dated for seven years, but the last two years our relationship was rocky. We broke up multiple times and I fully intended on breaking up with her for good the day of the explosion. I love Callie. I've grown up with her. But I don't love her in the way I thought I did. I can't see myself being with her in the future."

"Then why didn't you tell me this that Sunday we went to the park? You had a year to tell me, you knew you could trust me, and you never once mentioned it!"

"I don't know why! I didn't think it was necessary to say when I told you about it and yes, there were plenty of times I could've told you, but the more I got to know you, the more I thought it was a bad idea to tell you."

"Why on earth would it be a bad idea to tell me?"

"I thought if you knew how I felt about you and if you knew how long I'd dated Callie, you'd think that I was one of those guys who gets with a girl for one reason or thought I'd moved on from her way too fast or that you were the rebound girl. For a while, I didn't get with you because I thought you were a distraction and you didn't deserve a guy who would use you like that. But it didn't take me long to figure out that you were far from a distraction. You were so much more to me and I couldn't say anything because of Caleb and your family, and you… you showed no interest after you found out why Caleb had sent me to you. I thought my chances were done. And then we had that dance competition and I thought maybe we might have a chance. Then everything kind of went to hell between the explosion at our hotel, your family finding out about you sneaking out to see us, and you and Josilyn and Sebastian getting kidnapped… god I nearly lost my freaking mind thinking that I might have lost you. I heard your howl and took off. I don't even remember getting from the forest to you. The only thing I remember from that night is you half dead in my arms and me thinking I was about to lose the girl I love. I honestly don't know what your feelings are towards me right now because I know we talked about trying us out after this war but with everything happening, I don't know if you're willing to try that now but please, if you're going to take one thing away from this conversation, let it be that I love you. I love you Elsa." Spencer faltered for a moment before walking up to Elsa and kissing her forehead. He lingered next to her for a few seconds. Just as started he to move away, Elsa stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. My friend didn't hesitate to respond. Using one hand to cup her face and wrapping his other arm around her back to pull her closer to him, Spencer returned the kiss eagerly.

I started backing away towards the door, tugging on Anna's tail to get her attention. She crept back outside with me, only shifting once we were safely in the hallway. Anna waited until her sister and Spencer were out of earshot before exclaiming, "About damn time!"

I snorted. "You do realize we can't tell anyone about what we just saw?"

"Not until they make it official at least. Then we can brag about how we knew all along. How do you think Callie's going to handle it though?"

"Hopefully well. I mean if she loves Spencer, she'll know that the best thing she can do for him is to let him be with the girl he loves right?"

"I think that's easier said than done though. Come on, I want to have some sparring practice and since you're one of the few who can keep up with me, are you game for a few rounds?"

"Count me in," I said with a grin. Anna and I might not be what we used to, an intimidating, badass power couple, but if the only way of having her in my life again and having us be on good terms with each other was as friends, then I would be okay with that. I might always wish for something more, but I would do what made Anna happy. Because that's what some people do for love; they sacrifice their own true happiness to make sure the ones they love are as happy as can be.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Wasn't planning on having Spencer and Elsa kiss for a long while but some things need to happen now in order for future chapters to go according to plan SO, reviews would be lovely :)**


	38. Chapter 38

**Hello readers! Hope y'all are having a great break. Since I can't send you a gift, have a chapter :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Ren watched us as he leaned casually against the table, holding a pair of scissors. I'd never seen a classroom tool look so dangerous."**

* * *

Chapter 38

**Dom**

I sat in the corner of the courtyard by myself, browsing on my computer, while the Laroche pack relaxed in the center. They'd broken off into groups. Anna, Elsa, Ember, Thea, and Josilyn were sitting next to the fountain talking and eating off a fruit plate. Diana, Gracie, Akira, and Laurel were sitting in the grass playing a board game. Barry, Sebastian, and Oliver were watching videos on Barry's laptop. Dmitri and Jake were watching Riley wrestle with Spencer but the latter was easily overpowering the former simply because he was more calculating in his moves. Then there was Hunter and Noah who watched over the pack from the stairwell leading down to the courtyard. While I could hear a bit of everyone's conversation, Hunter and Noah whispered quietly to each other. It made me wonder what they were discussing as I knew secrets weren't really a thing in the Laroche pack.

"Hey!" Thea snapped. I looked over at the girls. Spencer and Riley had rolled into their fruit plate. Spencer was sitting casually on Riley, grinning at Elsa.

"Sorry babe," Riley groaned.

"You ruined the fruit plate," Thea griped.

"Spencer, really?" Elsa asked.

"What?" He replied.

"Why don't you pick on someone-"

"-My own size?" Spencer finished, standing up. Elsa stood up with him. He was almost a head taller than her. He smiled down at her. "Elsa, I don't think you're quite my size."

"I wasn't going to say pick on someone your own size. I was going to say pick on someone who is at your skill level." Before Spencer could react, Elsa swept his feet out from underneath him. He fell to the ground and she was on top of him in a flash, pinning him to the ground.

"That was uncalled for," he grunted.

"That was called-" Elsa stopped midsentence, glancing down at her pocket. She pulled out her phone and read a text message. She got off of Spencer and said, "Hey, I'll be back. Stark wants to see me."

"What about me?" Anna queried.

"Maybe he wants to talk about her dating his second," Riley remarked. Spencer hit him in the stomach as Elsa answered, "We're not dating."

"Really? Because the lip-lock you two were in earlier would suggest otherwise," he countered.

"Excuse me?" Hunter demanded, getting up from the stairs. Noah trailed behind him.

"He's making it up, Hunter," Elsa said. "Don't raise your haunches."

"I'm not making it up. Why are you two trying to hide it? Oh, wait, Callie. She doesn't like it does she? You two need to wait until she's okay with it, right?" Riley continued.

"Riley, shut up," Spencer said, his earlier playful demeanor completely gone.

"Don't tell my pack mate what to do," Hunter snarled, getting nose-to-nose with Spencer. "I let you be with my sister because she wants to be around you. But I do not give you permission to date her."

Spencer didn't back down. I couldn't decide if that made him very brave or very stupid. "First, I don't need your permission. You're not my alpha, Laroche. The only way you'd be my alpha is if I married Elsa and joined your pack and left my current one. Second, Elsa and I aren't dating."

Elsa stepped between the boys, pushing them away from each other. "Hunter, if you want to talk about this, talk about it to me. Spencer's right, you're not his alpha, you're mine."

"You're right. I am your alpha which means I will talk about this with who I want and that person's Spencer, not you. Get back in your place and be quiet."

"Hunter-"

"I said be quiet!"

"Hunter, don't talk to her like that," Anna interjected.

"She's omega, Anna. Whether she likes it or not, she needs to learn her new place."

"This has nothing to do with her being an omega. This has to do with you being scared of losing her to Stark and his pack. Please, leave him and her alone. I don't want to see my family fighting."

There was a tic in Hunter's jaw before he said, "Get out of my sight."

Spencer backed away and strode out of the courtyard.

"I need to go speak to Stark," Elsa commented, starting to walk off.

"No, you stay here," Hunter ordered. "I don't want you around any of them anymore. You never caused problems until you joined them. I don't know what they've done to you but I don't like it."

"You do realize I snuck out of the house long before they came around, right?"

"Why were you sneaking out of the house?" Diana queried.

"You know it's dangerous for Guardians to be out alone, Hunters or not," Gracie added.

"There's cougars and bears and regular hunters that would love to have a wolf head hanging above their fireplace," Laurel said.

"Yes, I know! I'm fully aware of the dangers!" Elsa exclaimed in exasperation.

"Then why would you put yourself in such a dangerous situation?" Dmitri inquired.

"That's none of your business but because I know none of you will drop it, I was going to talk to Anna."

"Anna was dead until a few weeks ago," Barry pointed out.

"That didn't mean I couldn't go to her headstone and talk to her."

"I have a headstone?" Anna questioned, blinking in surprise.

"Yeah. It's with the other half of the pack we lost. We need to remove it when we get back," Elsa said. "But back to the original accusation of me sneaking out. Hunter, you knew I was sneaking out long before the Stark pack came into town so don't act like them being here suddenly changed everything. Stark said it was urgent that he needed to speak to me."

"Is everything okay here?" Lily piped up, walking into the courtyard.

"What do you want?" Hunter snapped.

"I came to see what was taking Elsa so long. Usually when Stark texts her saying he needs to talk to her, she comes right away."

"I don't want her anywhere near you or your pack."

Lily sighed. "Honestly, I thought we'd moved past this stage."

"We had until I found out that your second and my sister were dating."

"Oh my god, we're not dating! So we kissed once or twice, so what?! You and Josilyn kissed before you two started dating!"

"We're from the same pack! You two aren't!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you two kissed?" Lily asked.

"Yes?" Elsa replied sheepishly.

I, along with every other member of the Laroche pack, thought Lily was going to be fuming. We couldn't have been more wrong as she exclaimed, "About damn time! Watching you two stare at each other whenever the other wasn't looking was exhausting. Seriously. You two act like puppies when you're around each other."

Elsa smiled. "I wish my brother took this as well as you did."

"It's a good thing I'm not your brother. Now Hunter, may I please borrow Elsa so she can talk to Stark? It won't take long. And if you say no, then I'll just call Stark here."

"Hunter, let her go. They're not hurting her," Josilyn whispered, taking his hand in hers.

"You have ten minutes. Any longer, and I'm coming to get her," he warned.

"Thank you. You'll have her back in no time."

"Thank you, Hunter," Elsa said. She gave him a grateful smile, one he didn't return. The pack watched Elsa and Lily until they disappeared before dispersing into their previous groups. Anna, however, came to join me.

"Won't your brother kill me if he sees you talking to me?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows at her.

She plopped down on the grass next to me. "No. You're neither kissing me, nor have you wreaked havoc in my family. The only thing you've done that they know of is save my dad's life. Hunter has respect for you. He doesn't have respect for Stark because he thinks Stark's a coward for not showing his human form."

"Do you think Stark will ever tell them?"

"Not unless he has to. He doesn't want to cause trouble and knowing what I do about what happened between him and Hunter, I understand. I mean he's created a whole new life and he's loving it. Coming back would open up old wounds that no one wants to deal with again. I'm glad Elsa knows it's him though. I don't think he quite understands just how important he is to her. I'm worried that Elsa's going to do something that will get her kicked out of the pack and I know if that happens, she'll go to Stark because it's Stark. And of course I'd go with her because throughout my whole ordeal with the Hunters, I never once forgot who she was or what she looked like."

"Anna, you're identical twins. All you'd have to do to remember what she looks like is to look at yourself," I pointed out.

"Shut up," she laughed. "You know what I mean. I remembered her the most clearly and thought about her every day, wondering where she was because I never knew what had happened to her. If she went with Stark back to Canada, I would join her, but I just got to know my pack again. I don't want to leave them either. I don't know what to do, Dom."

"If Elsa did something to be kicked out of the pack, she wouldn't join the Starks."

"Why not? She'd have her older brother and she'd get to be with the guy she loves."

"Because of you. She knows you need your family and she puts her family and her pack over everything else, even her, because that's what a beta does. She would stay in Estes for you. Of course, she wouldn't be living with the pack, but she wouldn't leave Estes."

"But I'd want her to be happy and I know she'd be happy with Stark and Spencer."

"Anna, whatever is meant to happen will happen the way it should. And whatever does happen, you know that you'll have two people who will always be there for you: me and Elsa. We'd never let anything happen to you."

Anna rested her head on my shoulder. "I know. And I'm thankful for that."

"Don't worry about it, okay? Worry about it when and if it comes."

* * *

**Spencer**

Lily came in with Elsa about five minutes later. I'd been talking to Caleb, telling him an altered version of what had happened in the courtyard. I avoided telling him about me and Elsa kissing because I knew my alpha still was averse to the idea of me dating his little sister. It was terrifying to be in love with a Laroche girl because you not only had to worry about them hurting you if you upset them, but they had two older brothers and parents that would kill for them without hesitation. I like to live life dangerously but hey, even I have my limits.

"Where's Callie?" Elsa inquired.

"She's in her room. She's not coming out much right now. Are you okay? I heard you got in a fight with Hunter," Caleb said, walking over to his sister and hugging her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Arguing with him is normal. Especially recently. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I've been trying to find a way to tell you this for ages because I didn't… I didn't know how to tell you. You've been through so much already between losing Anna and then me leaving and being demoted to omega, and I hate adding one more thing for you to worry about but I feel you deserve to know," Caleb explained.

"Are you leaving?" Elsa asked immediately. It struck me as odd that of all things she could've asked, she was more worried about her brother leaving than anything else.

"No, I'm not leaving. Not until this war is over. Spencer, Lily, and I came across a prophecy about the Laroche pack. Some of the Searcher's know about it. I don't know if mom or dad do. I feel you'd know if they did. But the gist of the prophecy is that a second born of the Laroche pack holds the key to unlocking a lost power of Guardians. I don't know exactly what power they're referring to. I don't know of any long lost Guardian power."

"That doesn't sound so bad right now, so I'm guessing there's a catch?"

Caleb nodded. "The prophecy says for the power to be unlocked, the second born has to be killed."

Elsa blinked. "Wh- why are you telling me this?"

"I'm telling you this because prophecies, they're not always straightforward. It was brought to my attention that there are technically two second-borns in our family. You and me. Chronologically I'm the second in the family, but of the twins, you were the second-born. We think that the prophecy might be referring to you. We don't know for certain but we think the Hunters want to unlock that power for their own use. It's the only explanation about why they're so adamant about killing us. Particularly you and me." When Elsa remained silent, Caleb asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's just… a lot to take in. I want to know what this power is and why the Hunters want to kill us for it, especially if it's unlocked by one of our deaths."

"I don't know. I've been trying to find a way to see if Babatunde knows about it because if he knows about the prophecy, I'm almost positive he would've told your parents."

"Our parents," Elsa corrected.

"Right. Our parents. The only reason I can think of about why he hasn't told them is that if it's about you, they'd never let you out of their sight again. If it's about me, they'd go to every length they could to find me and protect me. I know mom told me she wouldn't come find me but if she thought my life was in danger, you can't tell me she wouldn't try and find me to protect me."

"I know she would."

"Have you talked to her?"

"No… although she's called. I've been meaning to call her back."

"For how long?" Caleb didn't answer, which must've answered Elsa's question. "You'll never be ready. But that doesn't mean you can't call her. Thank you for telling me about the prophecy. I'll see you later, okay?"

Giving Caleb a hug, she left the room. My alpha watched her go.

"Spencer, could you give me some alone time with Caleb?" Lily requested.

"Yeah. I'll go grab food from the kitchen. I'll see you at dinner." I upped and left the room, immediately going after Elsa. She'd taken that way too calmly for her to really be okay with it. Lucky for me, she hadn't gone far. In fact, it seemed she was heading for her room instead of heading back to be with her family. Of course, after what happened earlier, I could understand why she would want to be alone rather than with them.

"Elsa!" I shouted, jogging to catch up with her. She turned around.

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Fine."

"You don't look fine. Talk to me."

She sighed. "I don't know. It's a lot to take in finding out that my death could possibly lead to a long lost power of the Guardians being returned. I just want to know if that power is worth dying for."

"You're not actually considering-" I stopped myself, unable to finish the sentence. "Listen to me, whatever that power is, it is not worth dying for. I don't care if that power gave me immortality. It would not be worth losing you or Caleb over. Do you understand me?"

"I don't want to die Spencer but if that power was for the greater good, it'd be selfish of me to-"

"No," I interrupted. "You'd leave a sister who just got you back. You'd leave devastated parents and sisters and brothers. You'd leave a distraught pack. You'd leave the guy who loves you shattered. You cannot consider it Elsa. What if you die and you're not the one that unlocks the power? I'm not willing to risk that."

"There has to be a way to figure out which one of us it is," she remarked.

"What about a DNA test?" I suggested.

"Spencer, that's brilliant. We need a DNA sample from Caleb. I'll get one from my parents as well because I want to know if we inherited this power from them."

"I'll go tell Caleb what we're planning. I'll do it later though. He and Lily are discussing things. How are you going to get your parents' DNA?"

"I'm stealthy. I'll just grab a hair from their brushes or something."

"All right. Hey, Elsa?"

"Yeah?"

"It's going to be okay. You know that right?"

"I have you and I have my family. I know whatever happens, I'll have you with me," she said. Elsa wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a hug. "Thank you for helping me with this."

"I'm always here for you, you know that."

She pulled away from the hug only so she could kiss me. She mumbled an 'I know' sometime during the kiss but I wasn't really focusing on that.

"We should stop before my brother comes," Elsa whispered.

"You initiated it," I laughed.

"Hunter said if I wasn't back in ten minutes he'd come after me. If he catches me kissing you, he'll think that's all I've been doing."

"I wish that was what we'd been doing these past ten minutes," I remarked, giving her another kiss.

"And I wish I hadn't heard that but I guess we don't always get what we want," Hunter growled. "Get the hell off of my sister."

Elsa and I jumped apart guiltily. I prepared myself for a fight because the Laroche alpha looked quite ready to murder me. However, he surprised me by saying, "Elsa, can I talk to you?"

"I'm the omega. I don't have a choice," she retorted. I bit back a grin. I always thought it was stupid the Laroches had made her omega because no matter how hard they tried, Elsa would never conform to the role. "Was what Anna said earlier true?"

"What are you talking about?"

"About you being afraid you'd lose me to the Stark pack."

Hunter sighed. "Yes."

She let out a breathy laugh. "Wow. Just… wow. I can't believe you think I'd leave this pack after all this time. I could've left when I discovered Stark's pack. I could've stayed with the Stark pack when you found out I'd been sneaking out to see them. I could've joined their pack after you took all you did away from me. I could've joined them when they gave me the option to. I could've joined them when dad gave me the option of leaving the pack. But no, Hunter, I stayed. Just like I will always stay. I know I haven't been truthful to you in the past but when am I going to get your trust back? What can I do to get your trust back?"

"You can stop hanging out with them," Hunter replied instantly.

"Please don't ask me to do that," Elsa whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

"What is so special about their pack that you would risk your position in our pack? Just help me understand."

"I can't explain it Hunter. I just can't."

Hunter sighed. "Fine. Whatever. Join them. I'm tired of playing these games with you."

The Laroche alpha walked off.

"What have I done?" Elsa murmured. "I can't keep lying to them Spencer. But if I tell them, Caleb will leave and I don't want to see him go yet. I don't want to lose my brother."

I pulled Elsa into a hug, letting her cry into my chest. "Caleb would never leave you. If you told your family, he'd deal with it. He knows you need him still."

"It's just like when he was home. I was always torn between him and Hunter and it's happening again. I don't want to have to keep choosing between them."

"What's wrong?" Lily demanded worriedly, rushing up to us.

"Elsa can't keep the secret of Caleb much longer. It's tearing her apart from her family," I explained.

"Oh sweetie, come here," Lily said, pulling Elsa into hug. "It's okay. Look, I'll talk to Caleb. He's already taking a big step forward today."

"What do you mean?" Elsa wiped away tears off her face.

"He's calling your mom. Right now."

* * *

**Arya**

I was sitting on the hidden rooftop garden reading a book when my cellphone rang. I picked it up without bothering to check who was calling. The only people who would be calling me would be my pack because they couldn't find me or someone from work.

"Hello?" I asked.

There was silence for a few moments before a hesitant, "Mom?"

I nearly dropped the phone at the voice I'd been so longing to hear talk to me directly instead of hearing it on his voicemail. "Caleb?"

"Hi…"

"Oh my god, it's really you… you're really calling me. Are you all right? Are you safe?"

"I'm fine. I'm safe as much as I can be with the Hunters and all. How are you and the pack?"

"We're hanging in there. We're at the Academy right now. The Hunters attacked our compound a few too many times. We're trying to find their main building to launch an attack to take them out for good… god I can't believe I'm talking to you. Do you have a pack?"

"Yeah."

"A girlfriend?"

"Yeah. I have a girlfriend. She's wonderful, mom. I have a fantastic second too. He's funny. Kind of reminds me of Riley."

"Good. That's so good. I'm so happy for you. I'm so glad you're all right sweetie," I said, choking up. I waited for him to say something because I was in too much shock to come up with any more questions.

For a few moments, he said nothing. I actually wondered if he'd hung up until he said, "Mom? You know that time you called a strange number someone left for you and you gave a message to a guy to give to me?"

"You got the message right?"

"I did. Because you gave it to me. Directly… I was the guy you were talking to on the phone that day. I-I wasn't ready to talk to you that day. I didn't know what to say. To be honest, I wasn't ready to call you today either but I was told by someone very close that for this conversation, I'd never be ready, especially after what I did to you and dad. I-I wanted to come home the moment I left but I couldn't bear to see the looks on your faces. I thought it was best I leave. Then Hunter wouldn't have to fight for alpha position, Elsa and Ember wouldn't be torn between their two brothers. I didn't deserve to come back. I let you and dad down in watching Anna. She was taken away from you because of me and I'm so… I'm so sorry mom."

"Caleb, listen to me," I ordered. "You were twelve years old fighting against multiple, fully grown Hunters. No Guardian that age could've stopped them. We almost lost you that night too. And yes, we lost Anna that night, but she's back. She's alive. Elsa, Ember, Noah, and these guys named Dom and Spencer, and a girl named Tiana, they rescued her. She's alive Caleb."

"I-I know. Elsa… told me."

"What do you- you've talked to Elsa?"

"Yeah. The Stark pack have met me. When they found out I was her brother, they let her get in touch with me. We've been talking ever since. That's why she's so close to them. Especially Stark. He and I have been through the most together… She never told any of you because I didn't want her to. It was easiest to talk to Elsa because I knew she didn't blame me for Anna's death. I've talked to Anna too. I can't believe she's alive."

"That explains so much… no wonder she was sneaking out a night to see them."

"I would've stopped her if I could've but I knew how important it was to her. I made sure the Stark pack kept a close eye on her. That's why Spencer was sent to watch her. Of course that turned into something more between them I guess."

I chuckled. "Just a little. It's complicated now that Callie's shown up but I still think Spencer's still madly in love with Elsa."

"Mom, what happens if they want to be together? Elsa can't leave the pack and Spencer can't leave his."

"Considering what Elsa's been going through, I have a feeling she'd be more willing to leave the pack than you realize. She's been… having a rough time. Having Anna here though has helped tremendously. Caleb, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"I received flowers on my birthday, Christmas, and Mother's Day, and Elsa and Ember received flowers on their birthdays and Christmas as well. There was never a note left with them and it made me wonder if maybe… if maybe it was you?"

"It was. I couldn't bring myself to talk to any of you in person but I never forgot about you. I figured flowers were the best way to go. I always bought ones for you that had a special meaning."

"Like the daffodils you bought me for my birthday the year you left. They meant new beginnings. And the striped carnations and daisies after Ren got attacked by the Hunters, it meant 'sorry I can't be there with you' and loyal love, right? It was right after I called you."

"I knew you'd figure it out."

"Hunter always thought they were poisoned so he'd always sniff them. All it did was make him sneeze."

Caleb chuckled. "How is Hunter? And Ember? And dad?"

"Hunter's still hot headed although he's dating Josilyn now which has helped his temper. Ember is dating Noah. And of course she's still sassy as ever. Dad is… he's stressed. He's been shot, hit by a car-"

"Dad was hit by a car? Elsa didn't tell me this."

"Yeah, Shiloh and Carrie briefly left the pack but we were keeping an eye on them. Ren knocked Noah out of the way of being hit by a car but got hit in the process himself. Tried to downplay the accident when I talked to him on the phone and then when I arrive to the McKay's house, he's bloodied up and collapsed on the floor. You know how stubborn your father used to be? Well that hasn't changed. In fact I sometimes think it's gotten worse."

"And you're okay?"

"I want to go home. I'm going crazy being in the Academy. But we can't go home until we get this Hunter situation sorted. You're okay too? Really? You're not lying to me to prevent me from coming to find you?"

My son laughed. "No, I promise you I'm okay. My pack takes good care of me."

"Good. I'm glad."

Silence ensued between us for a few seconds before, "Mom? I really miss you."

"Oh honey I miss you too. More than you can ever know."

"I'll come see you again. I promise. I don't know when, but I will. I don't want to see anyone else but you, Elsa, and Anna. I was always the closest to you three and I know that if I introduce myself back to the pack, it's going to cause a lot of problems, more than you're already dealing with and I don't want to do that. And mom? I'm sorry I almost caused you and dad to divorce. I-I didn't know that would… I'm so sorry mom. Please, please forgive me for everything I've done and for everything I've caused."

"There's nothing to forgive you for. I don't blame you for anything. I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I'm sorry we made you feel like running away was the only option for you. I know you have your life now, but if you ever wanted to come back, you are always welcome. You can bring your pack. God knows we have the room to keep them. Can we talk again soon?"

"Definitely. You can call me whenever you want. I promise I'll pick up as long-"

"As you can find your phone?" I finished.

"Yeah," he laughed. "If I don't pick up the first time, try one or two more times. I love you mom. I love you so much," Caleb whispered.

"I love you too sweetie. I'll talk to you soon, okay?" I hung up with my son, barely able to comprehend that after almost eight years of wondering whether Caleb was alive and well, I had finally been able to talk to him. It was too much for me to take. I needed to talk to Elsa and Anna, and I needed to tell Ren and Hunter why Elsa had been doing what she'd been doing. Then maybe I could convince my husband to let our daughter have her beta position back. Then maybe our daughter might actually start feeling like she belonged in our pack again.

* * *

**Merry Christmas :)**


	39. Chapter 39

**Because I'm enjoying writing this story so much, have another chapter!**

**Chapter Quote:**

"**Whoa, Hurricane Naomi strikes, leaving no survivers."  
****~Ansel, **_**Nightshade**_

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Chapter 39

**Dom**

Anna was hanging out in my room a lot more than usual. She told me Elsa wouldn't tell her what Caleb had talked to her about and it was driving her nuts. I had to remind her that Elsa had been growing up without her other half for half her life, that she was more used to keeping things bottled up rather than telling everyone. Anna countered with that Spencer seemed to know what's going on. I replied with he was part of the Stark pack and was probably there when Caleb was talking to Elsa.

I was currently chilling in the library. Spencer was in there too, reading some pieces of paper. I figured it was hotel stuff until Elsa came in and sat next to him. Neither of them had any idea I was in there. I meant to keep it that way so I could hear what they were talking about.

"Hey, you said you needed to see me?" Elsa said.

"Yeah, I got those blood tests back. Take a look," he told her, handing her the papers. A few moments later I heard her say, "You have to explain this to me… I don't really get it."

"This is your DNA, this is Caleb's, this is your mom's, and this is your dad's. These two marks here show a singularity in both your dad's and Caleb's blood."

"Is that the-"

"Yes. You're not the one in the prophecy. It's Caleb. He's the key to it and it's because of your dad."

Elsa set down the papers. "I finally found my brother and now I'm about to lose him again. You're going to lose your best friend, your alpha, Lily is going to lose her mate, my parents are going to lose a son… why? Why does it have to happen? I don't care what this long lost power is, I don't want him- wait, what if we told him it was me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Caleb won't let himself be killed if he thinks I'm the one the prophecy is about."

"That… that could work."

"No it won't you two," Caleb announced, walking out from the shadows.

"Caleb!" Elsa exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Seeing what mischief you two were getting into. Spencer received an urgent request from the Tordis wing. I wanted to know why my beta was talking to them. I appreciate the two of you trying to save me but it's not necessary. I've been talking to Baba, and I've told him about the prophecy. Apparently this long lost power was to turn other people into Guardians. It's what Calla did to Shay during the war our parents were in before this one. If I die, it's not going to be because I chose to. I don't plan on dying any time soon. Don't you two worry about me, okay?"

"Caleb, I'm sorry. Spencer and I just wanted to find out which one of us the prophecy was referring to," Elsa said softly.

"And I love you both for figuring it out. Look, the Searchers are hosting a party to get everyone's mind off of the war. Why don't you two go get dressed for it?"

Elsa and Spencer nodded. Caleb kissed his sister on her head and clapped Spencer on the shoulder before leaving. I waited for him to leave before stepping out of the shadows.

"Is this what you weren't telling Anna?" I inquired.

The two Guardians jumped in surprise.

"What? Is everyone listening in to our conversations?" Spencer grumbled.

"It's harder to hide things from her since we're twins but yes, this is what I wasn't telling her. I didn't want to have her worrying about whether or not I was… cursed or something if I wasn't. I was going to tell her after I found out who was actually cursed. Of course now I have to tell her that Caleb is the one that's cursed… how long have you been standing there?"

"I was here when Spencer came in. He didn't know."

"How did I not hear you typing on your laptop or turning the pages of a book?" Spencer asked.

"Because I was using my iPad," I remarked.

"How many gadgets do you have?"

"A lot."

"I've noticed."

"Dom, don't tell Anna what you heard. I'll tell her while we're getting ready for the dance. Spencer, I'll see you at the dance?"

"I'll walk you to you room. Dom, we'll see you later. And could you keep this on the low down? If Caleb wants the others to know, he'll tell them."

"It's not my place to tell. The secret is safe with me," I promised. The two of them thanked me before leaving the library. I headed back to my room to change outfits. I didn't have any nice outfits. The nicest thing I had was a pair of khakis and a polo. The dance, I found out, was at six. I don't know why it was starting so early but I didn't question it. The Searchers did have a rather strict schedule for most of them so maybe some wanted to go to bed early or something. When I arrived, I knew no one. None of the Laroche pack was there. I would've noticed if they had been. I stuck to the wall, sitting at a table by myself and watching the festivities. That was until Anna slipped next to me. I hadn't even seen her come in.

"Hey you," she greeted. "Why aren't you out dancing?"

"No dance partner."

"Well you have one now. Come on." Anna took me by my hands and dragged me to the dance floor. One by one, the Laroche pack trickled into the room. I was surprised that Elsa hadn't come with Anna but she explained that Spencer had knocked on their door right before they were leaving because he needed to talk to her. I noticed that those two were one of the last to enter the ballroom. It made me wonder what they had been doing that took so long but I had a few ideas. Spencer found Lily and led her to the dance floor. Elsa went over to a table and sat down. Josilyn sat next to her, engaging her friend in conversation. It seemed to perk Elsa up instantly. Those two were soon joined by Lily. I looked to find Spencer. He was now dancing with Callie but he didn't seem all too happy about it. She was talking to him; he, however, seemed to give short answers. When the song ended, he couldn't get away from her fast enough. He went up to the DJ and whispered something in his ear. The DJ nodded and Spencer disappeared.

"What is he doing?" Anna whispered.

"So I'm not the only one who noticed," I laughed.

"That guy is about as discreet as an elephant." Spencer slipped past us, saying hi. "Her scent is all over him."

"What?"

"Elsa. Her scent is all over Spencer. I guess we now know what those two were doing earlier."

I grinned. "That's not going to go over well with someone."

"You mean my family? With the exception of Riley."

"Them, yes, but Callie too. Do you see the death glare she's giving them right now?"

"Oh no."

"Hey, on a happier note, it looks like Spencer and Elsa haven't forgotten their tango routine."

"Hmm?" Anna turned around to see her sister dance. She headed over to the circle that had formed around the two of them, watching in awe. "I knew she took dance lessons but I didn't know she was this good."

"There's a reason they won that dance competition," I told her. I remembered the song they were dancing to as the one they danced to at the competition. Neither of them had forgotten a single step. Elsa was grinning, much different from her demeanor at the competition. They received a lot of applause from everyone that had been watching them, especially me and Anna.

"Elsa, that was amazing!" Anna exclaimed, rushing up to her sister.

"Thank you!" Elsa replied. "It's been so long I thought I'd forget the steps. Thank god we rehearsed it earlier."

"Is that why his scent is all over you?" Anna remarked.

"What?" Spencer and Elsa asked simultaneously.

"Your scent is all over my sister and vice versa. You two weren't just dancing earlier, were you?"

Anna's twin blushed furiously. "It was just a kiss… or two…"

"Don't worry, I'm messing with you. I'm not going to say a word," Anna laughed. "And neither will Dom. It's not like he talks to the pack anyway. Are any of you hungry? Because I'm starved."

The three of us agreed with her and headed over to a table. Halfway there, Callie stopped in front of us, tears in her eyes.

"You liar," Callie hissed.

"What?" Spencer blinked in confusion.

"Your scent was all over her earlier and now I know why after that dance. You're screwing her aren't you? That's why you were so late coming to the party, and need I mention with _her_."

"_Her_ has a name, and for the record, Elsa and I did this routine for a competition. We hadn't done it in a while so we were practicing earlier which is why our scents are on each other. If you want to talk, let's talk somewhere in private. But this is a celebration to get everyone's minds off of what's going on. I don't want to make a scene and ruin that for them. This is between you and me, all right?"

"You're screwing me. Screwing me over. Forget it." Callie stormed off. Spencer started to go after her but Elsa stopped him. "Maybe I should talk to her?"

"Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Elsa kissed him on the cheek and hurried after Callie.

"This isn't going to go well, is it?" Spencer remarked after she'd left.

"Nope. But she's right, I think it's time she and Callie had a talk," Anna said.

"Maybe we should go follow her and make sure they don't know we're there," I suggested.

"You mean spy on them?" Spencer asked.

"Yes."

"Just to make sure she's all right. I don't feel right spying on Elsa…" Spencer mumbled, but he let me and Anna lead the way out of the ballroom. Anna followed Elsa's scent to one of the courtyards where she had finally caught up to Callie.

"Can we please talk?" Elsa requested.

"I don't want to talk to you," Callie retorted.

"I know you don't but-"

"Then why are you?"

"Because I think we need to."

"You lied to me. You said there was nothing going on between you and Spencer."

"Nothing serious. Yes, we flirted but that was just for fun. He was sent to watch me by Caleb because my brother wanted eyes on me. Spencer got close to me because that was the only way he could get stuff out of me. I'm not exactly an open book. Look, losing you, losing his parents, it devastated him, especially because he believed you and your parents thought he hated you when you died. But that was so far from the case. Spencer needed someone to be there for him, to understand what he was going through, and that was me. That's why we're close."

"He never offered to tango for me. He hated it. So what made you so damn special?"

"Because he didn't really have a choice. He had to keep eyes on me and the only way that could happen was for him to become my dance partner, hip hop _and_ ballroom. Did you take dance?"

"I did," Callie said stiffly. "I loved ballroom. He hated it."

"Sometimes it just takes the right partner. Riley is my best friend and I adore him but he sucks as a tango partner. Maybe you and Spencer just weren't good ballroom dance partners."

"Oh and he knows you for what? A day? A week?"

"Something like that…"

"And he is so willing to dance ballroom with you? It doesn't make sense. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

"No."

Callie smiled, but it wasn't a friendly or understanding one. It was malicious. "You're rebound girl. That's the only reason Spencer's interested in you. Plus you're probably throwing yourself at him whenever you get the chance. I bet you kissed him first rather than him kissing you first. I bet he told you he loved you. News flash sweetheart, that's just so you don't stop giving him what he wants. You're nothing to him. Never have been, and never will be. I was his first everything: first love, first kiss, and his first time. You have a year with him. I have practically my whole life. Spencer loves me, he just doesn't want to break your fragile little heart."

Spencer bristled at Callie's words, getting ready to defend Elsa but I pulled him down. This was between Elsa and Callie. We were here to watch.

"If Spencer loves you, then so be it. I genuinely hope you two are happy together. But if he does love me, then let him love who he wants. Let him make his own decisions. It's his life and he's allowed to live it how he wants."

"Do you love him?"

"Why does it matter? Love can be unrequited. I could say I love him but he could say he doesn't love me back and vice versa."

"Has he told you he loved you?"

Elsa bit her lip. "Yes…"

Callie turned murderous, striking out at Elsa who barely managed to lean out of the way. Anna dashed towards Callie. Spencer and I were on her tail. Well so much for this being between Elsa and Callie…

"Four years! Four years into our relationship it took him to say 'I love you' and he says it to you in a year!" Callie swiped at Elsa's face, claws extended. The Laroche girl jumped back. I knew she didn't want to attack the fiery red head but I was pretty sure she wasn't really going to get a choice in the matter.

"Don't you dare attack my sister!" Anna growled, shoving Callie away.

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed, grabbing onto her sister to prevent her from attacking Callie.

"Callie, that's enough," Spencer said firmly. None of us expected her to attack Spencer. She punched him in the face before nailing him in a very painful place. Spencer went down. I felt his pain. I wanted to make sure he was okay but I also needed to make sure Anna didn't kill Callie for attacking Elsa. How I was going to stop two kickass girls, I had no idea.

"You little home-wrecking bitch!" Callie snarled. "No wonder Hunter hates you and Caleb never contacted you. They know you're a whiny little bitch who-"

Callie never finished her sentence. A massive wolf knocked her to the ground, barking, snarling, and gnashing his teeth in her face. For the first time since Callie had come to the Academy, I saw her truly terrified.

Spencer staggered up and Lily was instantly appeared by his side, checking to make sure he was okay.

"Elsa, Anna, what's going on?" Ren demanded. The three of us whirled around. When did the Laroche alphas get here?

"Elsa went to talk to Callie to smooth things over and Callie attacked her," Anna explained, glowering at the Stark omega who was still frightened for her life because Caleb was still barking and snarling in her face.

"Why did you go talk to Callie, Elsa?" Arya asked.

"She got upset because Spencer's scent was on me and-"

"Why was his scent on you?" Ren demanded.

"Because he and I had been practicing our dance routine from the competition. It's close contact the entire time."

"She's screwing-" Callie never finished her sentence. Caleb had his jaws on her neck, putting just enough pressure on her for her to shut up.

"Hey!" Lily exclaimed.

Elsa knelt down next to Caleb, placing her hand on his back. "Please let her go," she requested softly.

Caleb reluctantly listened. Callie massaged her neck the moment he released her. Bite marks could easily be seen.

"Spencer, Callie, this has gone on long enough. We're going back to our room and whether you like it or not, we're talking about this." The two Stark alphas escorted the others away.

"Are either of you hurt?" Ren questioned, walking up to his daughters.

"No," they replied at the same time.

"Are you hurt, Dominic?"

"No, sir." I was kind of shocked that he asked me about my well-being but I chose not to question it. If I was on Renier Laroche's good list, I intended on staying there.

"Good. I'll have to thank Lily and Stark for intervening before either of you got hurt. Let's head back to the party. Some of the other pack members are heading out to a club. You three should go, get your mind off things."

"I'm going to pass. I'm not much in the mood for partying right now," Elsa admitted.

"I'm not going anywhere without Elsa while that psycho is on the fritz. I'm staying," Anna declared.

"Anna, you don't have to stay with me, I'm fine. If she attacks me again, I'll attack back. Plus, if Stark finds out, he'll go berserk again and back me up. Go have fun with Dom."

"Actually, I'm not much of a club guy. I've gone to enough. I think a quiet night in sounds good actually. Maybe watch a movie or play a game?" I suggested.

"I found a thousand piece puzzle in the library I've been dying to try."

The three of us agreed. Ren and Arya walked us to the girls' room. I went to mine to change into different clothing, something more comfortable. When I arrived back at Anna's room, they were already in their pajamas, putting in a movie.

"What's the movie?" I asked, sitting on the floor.

"Hope you don't mind but considering you're outnumbered here, we're watching Pride and Prejudice."

"That always was your favorite movie," I laughed. Turning to Elsa, I said, "Don't tell me it's your favorite too?"

"Guilty," she replied, shrugging.

"God, even ten years apart and you two still are practically identical in everything."

"Oh shut up," Anna snapped airily, pressing play. The movie started, with the twins quoting every single line. I merely watched and listened, knowing better than to interrupt. But I had to admit, working on a puzzle and hanging out with the girls was surprisingly fun, if not just relaxing. I never really relaxed in my life. It was something new to me. I wished I could feel like this the rest of my life, but I knew that wouldn't happen. However, I did wish it would've lasted longer than it did. If I'd only known what was going to happen in a few hours…

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**Reviews would be fantastic :)**


	40. Chapter 40

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**The way you move is incredible."  
****~Ren, **_**Nightshade**_

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Chapter 40

**Josilyn**

Hunter, Ember, Noah, Jake, Oliver, Riley, Gracie, Dmitri, Diana, Thea, and I were the only ones in the pack who went to the club. Hunter and Noah, since they were the oldest, offered to be the nondrinkers and watch out for the rest of the pack. That didn't mean the two of them just stood to the side though. Hunter led me to the center of the dance floor where we started out dancing but after a few drinks in my system, I got a little more adventurous, not to mention confident. The dancing quickly turned into a make-out session. At some point, I was pinned against a wall with my arms wrapped around Hunter's neck and his hands travelling up and down my body.

"While I do not want to interrupt this, if I kiss you anymore, it's going to go a lot farther than just kissing and if we're going to do that, I want it to be in bed, not against a wall. Although we could do that later. Also, I'm thirsty. Are you?"

"Yeah," I said a little breathlessly, still on cloud nine from kissing Hunter. Man he could kiss…

Hunter took my hand and keeping me close to him, walked me over to the bar where he ordered a glass of water for me and a diet coke for himself. He watched the barmaid carefully while he made my drink to make sure nothing was put in it that wasn't supposed to go in there. I happily took the drink from him though when it had Hunter's approval. We scanned the room to find our pack mates. Noah was dancing/making out with Ember. Thea and Riley were do some hip hop moves that were gathering a crowd. Diana and Gracie were dancing together. Jake and Oliver were knocking back the drinks but since we were Guardians, it took a lot to get us drunk. The only exception was me. Physically, I wasn't az strong or as big as the rest of the pack so the drinks went to my head a little faster than normal, but the effects wore off usually pretty fast. In fact, just standing by the bar, I could feel myself becoming more and more sober.

"Hey you two," Dmitri greeted, coming up to stand next to me and Hunter. "Why aren't you two out dancing?"

"We're taking a break. Hunter was thirsty. Why aren't you out dancing?" I asked.

"You'll never believe this but despite my dashing good looks and my complete confidence in myself, I can't actually bring myself to ask the girl I like to dance with me."

"Who is it?" Dmitri scratched the back of his head but didn't answer. "Is it someone from our pack?"

"Yes…"

"I don't think it's Diana… you've never shown any interest in her romantically whatsoever. Um, you and Gracie are awkward around each other. You just like to mess with Thea, and Ember is totally taken by Noah."

"Well you said their name, I'll give you that."

"Why are you and Gracie being so awkward around each other? What happened?"

"We uh… got a little drunk one night and-"

"You two didn't!" I exclaimed.

"We did. Hey, you can't tell anyone about that. You know how reserved Gracie is. She's just like her father. Plus, if her father found out he'd kill me."

"So it's Gracie you like?"

"Yeah, but I think she thinks I just used her that night."

"Go tell her! I'm sure she likes you too or else she wouldn't have done it with you! Like you said, Gracie is reserved and she's picky. She wouldn't go for just any guy. Go make your move."

Just as Dmitri began to walk off, a guy approached us, or more like he approached me.

"Hey gorgeous, would you like to go dance?" He asked.

"Oh, thank you for the offer but I have-"

"A boyfriend. Now run along and find someone else to dance with," Hunter finished.

"Hey, I just wanted to ask her for a dance. Surely a dance with another guy won't kill her or you," the guy countered.

"I said find someone else to dance with," Hunter snarled, shoving the guy away.

"Hunter!" I exclaimed, grabbing onto his arm, but he shook me off. I called for Dmitri who was by my side instantly.

"I've been watching the whole time. Go get Noah. We need to get Hunter out of here," Dmitri told me. I scampered off to find my brother. It wasn't difficult to find him. He was still in the same spot with Ember. I hated interrupting them, mainly because I was embarrassed to interrupt a make-out session, but this was an emergency.

"Josilyn, can it wait?" Noah asked.

"Dmitri needs your help with Hunter. Something's wrong."

For being seemingly drunk, my brother sobered up instantly. "What's the matter with Hunter?"

"I don't know. He's really aggravated right now."

"Ember, go with Josilyn and round the others up. I don't like the sound of this. I think it's time we take our leave."

"Are you okay?" Ember inquired, slurring her words a little bit.

"I'm fine. Just worried. Come on." It didn't take us long to gather the others up, especially when we told them what was happening. Upon arriving back to the area Hunter was in, there was a small circle surrounding Hunter, Noah, and Dmitri. The latter two were barely restraining my boyfriend who was trying to lunge at the guy that had asked me to dance. Of course, the idiot was taunting him.

"Shut up. Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Gracie snapped.

"Hey beautiful." The guy winked at her.

"Don't even think about going for her," Dmitri warned.

"Girls, make a path out of here for us. Hunter needs to get back," Noah ordered. We formed a circle around them, pushing people out of the way. I stayed in the back so Hunter could see me. I thought that might calm him down.

It took about five minutes for us to walk twenty feet out the door because Noah and Dmitri were having so much trouble dragging Hunter out of the club. When we made it outside, Gracie phoned the Academy. Within five seconds, a portal was in front of us. We walked through it, ending up in front of some of our rooms.

"Let me go!" Hunter barked, yanking his arms out of Noah and Dmitri's grip.

"What's going on?" Elsa came out of Anna's room, rubbing her eyes as if she'd been sleeping. "I heard shouting."

"Hunter's in a bad mood," Diana said.

"I'm fine!" my boyfriend shouted.

"Hey, let's get to bed," I suggested. "Come on sweetie."

I tried to loop my arm through his but he pushed me so hard I fell to the ground. I threw my hands out to brace myself. However, my right hand was at an angle and I heard a very clear snap. A cry erupted from my throat.

"Josie!" Elsa was by my side in an instant, helping me sit up.

"Don't you dare hurt my sister!" Noah yelled, stepping in between me and Hunter. In the blink of an eye, Hunter socked my brother so hard in the jaw that my brother went down. That was when I actually became frightened of Hunter. Not only would he never hurt me, not only would he never hit his second, but to actually knock my brother down and out, it was terrifying.

"Noah? Noah, answer me," Ember whispered, shaking him gently. My brother groaned, his head lolling to the side.

"Dmitri, Gracie, Diana, help Josilyn to her room and stay there until you're told. Jake, Oliver, help Ember get Noah to his room. Thea, Riley, go get mom and dad," Elsa ordered.

"You don't give them orders!" Hunter shouted. "You're the omega so shut up and act like it!"

However, Gracie, Dmitri, and Diana helped me up, leading me away from the scene. I saw Jake and Oliver helping Ember and Noah. Thea and Riley, surprisingly, stayed behind. That was the last I saw of the situation because Dmitri, Gracie, and Diana came into my room with me and locked the door.

"Are you okay?" Gracie asked, sitting on the bed.

"It hurts. I heard something snap," I replied.

"It certainly looks broken. It's already swelling. You need some blood," Diana remarked.

"I shouldn't need much," I said.

"We'll give you as much as you need," Gracie promised. "Now, let's get you healed up."

* * *

**Elsa**

"Hunter, what the hell has gotten into you? First you push Josilyn, then you punch Noah?" I demanded angrily. "How could you hurt the two people closest to you?"

"Don't give me this bullshit. You want to know what my problem is? _ You_. Our pack didn't have any problems until _you _started sneaking out with the Stark pack. You've been tearing this pack apart ever since it happened and I'm sick of it. You've destroyed mom and dad because they don't know what to do with you and you're _this close_ to being kicked out of the pack. What happens then? Anna can't leave her family she just found but she can't leave her twin either! You're screwing her over! So let me ask you what you asked me: what the hell has gotten into you?"

"I'm not the one who just attacked my pack mates unprovoked." I turned to Thea and Riley. "What are you two still doing here? Go get mom and dad."

"We don't want to leave you. Not when he's like this."

"I can handle him. Besides, I'm the omega right? In wolf packs, the omega is the one that everyone picks on right? Well, I'm learning my place. Go get mom and dad. Tell them what's happening."

Reluctantly, Thea and Riley listened to me. I faced my brother again but I hadn't realized how close he'd actually gotten. I didn't have time to jump out of the way before he slammed me into the wall.

"Hunter, let me go," I said.

"No, all of our problems started the moment you hung out with the Stark pack. You know, if all our problems _started_ with you, maybe all of our problems would _end_ with you."

"Hunter-" I began but was cut off when his hand clamped down on my throat. I never wanted to hurt anyone in my family but if I was going to survive this, I had to hurt Hunter. I nailed my brother in-between the legs. He let out a howl. I shoved him away with my feet, dropping to the ground.

"You bitch!" He growled. Hunter lunged at me but I dodged out of the way. I had to keep him distracted but I couldn't let myself be grabbed by him again. Whatever was happening to him was making him much stronger than usual. It was a stupid idea but as I scampered away from him, I said, "Come and get me."

I bolted down the hallway with Hunter desperately trying to catch me. I skidded around a corner, nearly slipping on the newly waxed floor. Hunter did slip which gave us more distance between each other. Good for me, bad for him.

To be honest, I had no idea where I was going, but I somehow ended up in the training room. Problem was there was one way in, and one way out. And Hunter was blocking my way out. He shut the door and locked it.

"All right sis, time we take care of this. I promise I'll make this quick."

"Hunter, please, this isn't you. I don't know what you ate or drank, but it's causing you to do and say crazy things. Please let's just talk about this." I held my hands up to tell him physically that I didn't want to fight, but he didn't take it.

"No, I'm done talking to you. I've tried to understand, I've tried to talk to you, but you do whatever you want. You're not the damn alpha and soon, you're not even going to be the omega. You're going to be dead." Hunter charged me. I scrambled out of the way but he was quicker than I realized. My brother managed to grab onto my foot. He dragged me to him and pinned me to the ground. He leaned into my ear and whispered, "I'll make this quick for you."

I felt my brother shift forms. I shut my eyes, waiting for the imminent bite to my neck. I heard the snap of his jaws, but I never felt teeth on my neck. Opening my eyes, I noticed the weight of my brother was completely off of me. I pushed myself up, looking for Hunter. He was staggering up in a corner with Spencer, in wolf form, and Dom standing between me and my brother.

"Elsa! Are you okay?!" Anna exclaimed, rushing over to me.

"I'm fine," I said, standing up. "Thanks to Spencer and Dom. What are you doing here?"

"I sensed something was wrong and Spencer was on his way over because he saw you run past the garden. What's wrong with Hunter?"

"I don't know, but he's lost his mind."

"Elsa, he's done more than lost his mind. He was about to kill you."

"He was, but he didn't, thanks to you three."

"Incoming!" Dom shouted as Hunter leapt onto him in wolf form. He sank his teeth into my friend's shoulder, causing him to holler out. My brother shifted back into human form and punched Dom in the face over and over. Anna rushed over but Hunter swung his arm out her, hitting her with such force that she went flying back into the wall, hitting it with a sickening thud.

"Hey!" Spencer yelled. "He's done nothing to you. You want to attack someone? Attack me. You've hated me since you met me. Come on!"

With a snarl, Hunter went after Spencer.

"Elsa, make sure Anna and Dom are okay! I'll distract him!" Spencer ran out of the room with Hunter nipping at his heels. I rushed over to my sister who was barely conscious.

"Are you okay?" I asked, helping her stand up.

"I'm fine. I'll help Dom. You go help Spencer. He's going to need it," Anna remarked.

"Are you positive?"

"Yes, now go! Be careful, okay?"

"I will." I ran off, following Spencer's scent to the gardens where he and Hunter were in a full out battle. Typically Spencer could've held his own but whatever was going on with Hunter made him so much stronger that the Stark beta didn't stand a chance. I was amazed he'd lasted this long. My brother had Spencer pinned to the ground with the latter barely managing to keep the former's snapping jaws from enclosing around his neck. I shifted forms and barreled into my brother, knocking him off of Spencer.

"You okay?" I asked once I turned human again.

Spencer shifted. His face was bleeding and he had multiple slashes on his torso. "Yeah, I could do this all day."

"Looks like you both die tonight," Hunter growled. I pushed Spencer away from me and rolled out of Hunter's way as he tried to crash into us. I landed a roundhouse kick to his stomach. He stumbled backwards, trying to regain his wits when Spencer punched him square in the jaw. Shaking his hand, Spencer said in a little bit of a daze, "Figuratively, that felt good. Physically, I think I broke my hand because your brother has a jaw made of steel."

I actually smiled at that. Leave it to Spencer to make a joke in a situation like this. My happiness was short lived. Hunter had thrown a rock from one of the garden beds straight at Spencer's head. It knocked him down and out.

Hunter leapt at Spencer, jaws open. I shifted mid leap as I hit Hunter in the stomach. The two of us rolled away from my unconscious friend. I landed unceremoniously on my shoulder, hurting it pretty badly. I hadn't realized I'd turned human until Hunter had me by the throat again, pinned to the wall. My hands grasped his wrist, frantically trying pry his hand off my throat, but he had a death grip on me.

"Hunter, let your sister go," Shiloh's voice commanded gently. I saw him out of the corner of my eye, cautiously approaching us.

"Mom? Dad?" I managed to gasp out.

"They're on their way. Your mom was grabbing things from the house, your dad was on the other side of the Academy. They'll be here shortly."

"Elsa?" Spencer groaned. He looked up to see Hunter pinning me to the wall. He struggled to get up, saying my name again.

"Hunter, let your sister go," Shiloh repeated.

"Why should I listen to the guy that took my mate away from me? You didn't even give her a choice!" Hunter yelled. His grip tightened the angrier he got. I wasn't going to stay awake for much longer. My vision was already turning black. It dawned on me that the next few seconds were most likely going to be my last so I managed to get Hunter's attention.

"What?" he demanded.

"I-I lo… love you," I choked out.

"I don't love you," he retorted. "Goodbye little sister."

If Caleb hadn't latched onto Hunter's arm at that exact moment, I would've been dead. I could barely see, but I could still feel, especially when I fell to the floor, my head striking the stone pavement. Shiloh rushed over to me.

"Stay the hell away from her!" Caleb hissed. His back was to us so only Spencer and I knew it was him, but I was still shocked that my brother had transformed in front of not just Shiloh, but Hunter.

"Finally showing your ugly face," Hunter spat. "About time, Stark."

"Spencer, watch her," Shiloh whispered. I felt someone gather me in their arms, propping my head up so I could breathe which was becoming more and more difficult although I didn't know why. I thought wind was blowing through the garden but I quickly realized that was my labored breathing.

Caleb shifted back into wolf form and snapped his jaws onto Hunter's leg, released it, and jumped back. He danced around my oldest brother, almost like a cat and mouse game, but this… this was more dangerous. It was more like a cobra and mongoose game. Caleb's tactic worked though. Hunter might not have slowed down, but he was becoming weaker. At some point, Caleb tackled Hunter to the ground with his mouth clamped around Hunter's neck.

"Stark, move!" Mom ordered. Caleb's lip lifted up in defiance. "Stark, please."

With one last growled, Caleb quickly backed off of Hunter who sat up with the clear intentions of going after him. But as my oldest brother begin to stand up, he fell back down. Mom rushed over to him, gently placing her hands on his shoulders.

"You're going to be okay, Hunter. It's just a tranquilizer," mom explained. His fist went for her face but dad caught it, restraining that arm to the ground. Shiloh did the same to the other arm. Within a few seconds, my brother was passed out. Searcher's came and strapped him onto a gurney, escorting him out. Dad and mom and a quick discussion before Dad went with Hunter and Shiloh came over to me and Spencer with mom. Caleb, in wolf form, walked over to us, sniffing me and Spencer in our faces.

"Elsa, can you hear me?" Mom asked.

"Yes," I croaked out.

"Oh thank god… honey, I need to give you blood. If we don't get the swelling in your neck and face to go down, it could kill you. It'll hurt to swallow but you're going to have to okay?"

All I could do was nod. I felt a warm liquid enter my mouth. I forced myself to swallow but it hurt terribly. On the small upside, breathing became a little easier for me, my breathing became less labored.

"Spencer, are you okay?" Mom queried gently.

"Y-yes ma'am. A little… dazed, I guess. He hit me in the head with a rock," Spencer replied.

"You need some blood too."

"I'm fine. I just need rest. I'll carry Elsa back to her room."

"Whoa, whoa, easy kid," Shiloh said. "You're in no shape to carry her back to her room. I'll do it."

"Spencer, come on, I'll help you to your room," mom offered. Suddenly, two strong arms lifted me up into the air. My world went upside down and within a few seconds, I blacked out.

* * *

**Caleb**

I shifted into a human, keeping my head down. Thankfully, Spencer's drooping head blocked my mom from seeing my face. I prioritized my beta's health over keeping my identity secret, but that didn't mean it wasn't nerve-wracking to be in human form around my old pack, specifically the one person who, besides Elsa, would most definitely recognize me. Mom briefly left Spencer to open Elsa's bedroom door so Shiloh could carry my little sister in. Despite wanting to stay with Elsa, I continued my way to Spencer's room.

"Stark," mom said. I halted in my tracks, but stayed facing away from her. "Thank you. For saving my daughter."

I nodded but said nothing. I opened Spencer's door and brought him inside, kicking the door shut with my foot. My beta collapsed onto his bed.

"You need blood," I said, sitting next to him.

Spencer waved me off. "I'll be fine. I need a shower."

"The hot water is going to sting your cuts so badly it might make you pass out."

"So I'll wash in cold water. I need to get to Elsa, I need to make sure she's okay," Spencer grunted as he stood up. I stood with him, placing steadying hands on his shoulders.

"Hey, Elsa will still be there if you wait and see her in the morning."

"No, no, I have to be there for her. I need to show her that I love her and-"

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

"Callie was telling Elsa I don't love her and I do but I think Elsa believed Callie and I have to prove Elsa that Callie's wrong, that I do-"

"Spencer, Elsa knows you do. Or else she wouldn't have gone after you when you led Hunter away from her. If you really want to be with her tonight, I won't stop you, but as your alpha, I'm ordering you to at least take a shower first. You're all bloody and Guardian or not, if those wounds get infected, you're in for a world of hurt. I'll wait with you to make sure you can get through a shower without passing out and then we'll head to Elsa's room, okay?"

My beta nodded, grabbing some pajamas and shuffling to the bathroom. I sat on his bed and called Lily.

"So I just came across an injured Anna and a beaten up Dom. Earlier you disappeared like a bat out of hell. I swear to God, if you don't tell me what just happened, I will pack my things and go back to Canada."

"Is Anna okay?" I asked immediately. I'd seen her earlier which is how I'd known to go after Spencer and Elsa but she'd appeared unharmed when I saw her.

"She has a few broken ribs and a minor concussion according to the Searcher's but nothing that won't heal in a couple days. Dom is scratched up something terrible on his face and chest. Anna told me Hunter did that?"

"Something happened to Hunter. It was like he went off the deep end or something. From what I know, from the brief explanation I received from Anna, Hunter attacked Elsa for some reason and Spencer went to help her. He's torn up and really dazed. Hunter threw a rock at his head and knocked him out. Hunter had Elsa pinned to the wall by her throat and my mom said that if I hadn't come in when I did, Elsa would be dead. Her neck and face are so swollen. She can barely breathe right now, let alone talk, so until she can talk, I won't find out what started this all."

"Surely someone else knows? Josilyn maybe? She is Hunter's girlfriend after all."

"I'll ask tomorrow. For now I want to make sure Spencer and Elsa are all right. I'm going to stop by Anna's room too, see how she's doing."

"Tell me when you're in Elsa's room so I can come see Spencer and make sure he's all right. I'm not going to breathe a word about this to Callie until it's all blown over. She's so volatile at the moment. I don't know what to make of her right now…"

"Who knows what the Hunters did to her. She'll never be the Callie we knew. We have to work with this new Callie. Maybe someday she'll get back to her old self but that probably won't be for a while. Hey, Spencer just finished his shower so we'll be in Elsa's room in the next few minutes. Meet us there?"

"Yeah, I'll see you soon. I love you."

"I love you too." We hung up. Spencer came out of the shower in sweatpants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. I asked, "Feel any better?"

"Not really. Just cleaner."

"You need to get some rest. Let's get to my sister's room." The two of us walked next door. I shifted into wolf form while Spencer knocked on Elsa's door. Mom answered it.

"Spencer, what are you doing up?" she questioned worriedly. "You should be resting."

"I wanted to stay with Elsa. I'm worried about her. Ca-" Spencer stopped and corrected himself before mom figured out what he was saying. "Can I stay with her tonight? Stark will watch over us."

Mom nodded. "She's just fallen asleep. I didn't want to leave her side and I was actually about to ask Stark if he would mind keeping watch on her. I have to go hear what happened with Hunter and see what made him go mad on us. I'll come check on the two of you later. Thank you."

Mom left. Just as we entered Elsa's room, Lily came running over. I shifted into human form.

"Oh my god, Spencer!" She breathed. "You look terrible! Are you okay?"

"Excuse you, I always look good," my beta retorted.

"Be serious," Lily snapped. "Do you need blood?"

"No, I just need sleep. I love you." Spencer kissed Lily on the cheek before going over to Elsa's bed and carefully laying down next to her. Within seconds, he was sound asleep.

"Are you sure he's okay?" Lily queried.

"He's fine. I'm staying the night with them to make sure of that. You're welcome to stay if you want."

"I just might. Do you want to go see Anna? She's in her room with Dom, watching over him. He was torn up something awful. She doesn't know about Elsa. I think you might have to break the news to her about that."

"Great… I'll be back." Giving Lily a quick kiss, I went to Anna's bedroom. I knocked on the door which opened a few seconds later to reveal Anna, holding her stomach.

"Caleb!" She pulled me into her room, shut the door, and threw an arm around me to hug me. I was careful hugging her back, not wanting to hurt her ribs.

"Are you okay?" I asked, placing my hands on her arms. "I heard Hunter hurt you."

"Just a few broken ribs, nothing that won't heal in a few days. I'm watching over Dom. He was hurt really badly."

"I've been hurt worse!" Dom called out. I entered Anna's room fully to find Dom struggling to sit up. Although it was obvious he'd tried to clean his wounds, blood was still seeping out.

"He won't let me give him blood. Says I need to save my strength to heal myself."

"Because you do," he retorted.

"I'm not the one bleeding from every inch of my body," Anna countered.

"Hey, you might not want her to give you blood but I can." I sat next to Dom and made a cut in my forearm. He looked at it worriedly.

"This is weird. I don't think I can-" I rolled my eyes and shoved my arm to his mouth, forcing him to drink blood. I guess for non-Guardians, drinking blood with magical healing properties was a bit strange to comprehend. Dom pulled away a few seconds later, saying, "As weird as that was, that wasn't terrible."

"Is Elsa okay? Last time I saw her, she was going after Spencer and Hunter."

"She's… fine now. Hunter knocked Spencer out with a rock and he had Elsa by the neck. I attacked him and got him away from her. Someone shot him with a tranquilizer or two and he's currently under observation and unconscious. Let's hope when he wakes up he's normal and doesn't remember what I look like."

Anna threw her arms around me. "Thank you Caleb. You saved Elsa's life. I know you did."

"I promised myself I'd never let anything happen to her like it did to you. And as long as it's in my power, those Hunters will never get you again. I'm not losing either of you."

"Can I come see Elsa? Is she awake?"

"She's not awake, but you can come see her. Lily and I are staying with her the rest of the night to monitor her and Spencer. Both are in bad shape."

"I just want to see her. I need to come back and make sure Dom doesn't do anything stupid."

"What do you mean? I don't do anything stupid," Dom remarked.

"Oooh don't even get me started on all the stupid things you've done," Anna said. Shaking her head, she added, "Stay here while I go check on Elsa. If I come back and you're anywhere but that bed, I'll hurt you some more."

"Fine, fine," Dom muttered, laying back down.

I grinned and said, "Laroche girls run the show. Haven't you figured that out by now?"

"I thought they only did that with their boyfriends and seeing as how we're not dating, I thought the rules didn't apply to me," Dom said.

"Oh trust me, they apply. Get better Dom."

"Thanks Caleb."

Anna and I went back to Elsa's room where Spencer was snoring softly. Lily was working on something on her computer but she looked up the second we entered the room.

Anna made a beeline for Elsa's bed. As if sensing her twin, Elsa's eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," she croaked.

"I told you to be careful," Anna said softly.

"I was. Guess it wasn't enough."

"You almost died. If it wasn't for Caleb, you'd be dead right now."

"I'm not."

"Obviously. Next time you go after a lunatic brother, I'm coming with you because I need to watch out for you."

"Deal."

"Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." Elsa smiled and shut her eyes. Anna kissed her sister on the head and turned to me.

"Message me if you need anything or if something's wrong with Elsa. I'll be here as fast as I can."

"Will do. I love you," I said, giving her a hug.

"I love you too. Lily, thank you for watching my sister."

"She's an unofficial member of my pack, as are you. It's no problem. I'm glad they're safe and that you and Dom are too. I'll see you in the morning." Anna gave my girlfriend a hug and left the room. I sat down on the couch and said, "Get some sleep. I'll work on hotel stuff."

"Are you sure you'll be okay? You've had a long day."

"I'm too wired to sleep right now. I'm fine."

"All right. Wake me up if you want to sleep so I can take watch."

"I will. Love you." My girlfriend mumbled an 'I love you' but she was already half asleep. I stared at my pack mates and sister, glad to have them all alive. But I couldn't stop thinking about the prophecy. I hadn't told Lily that it was about me. It would devastate her. The prophecy mentioned that the death of the second-born Laroche would give the Guardians a long lost power. After finding out what that power was, I almost wondered if it was worth dying for, being able to turn other people into Guardians. But I couldn't leave my pack. I couldn't decide if I was being selfish for wanting to stay with them or if I was being selfless by trying to stay alive for them. I guess it could go either way. But if a prophecy mentioned a death, a death typically happened, and since it was talking specifically about my death, I couldn't shake the feeling that at some point in the near future, when the war with the Hunters reached its peak, that I was going to die.

* * *

**This was such a long chapter. I hope you enjoyed. SACarter, I stayed up late just so I could finish this for you. You better love me forever. As for my other readers, reviews would be great :)**


	41. Chapter 41

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**I didn't realize I needed to point out that if we are attacked by a fire-breathing bitch, you can change forms."  
****~Calla, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 41

**Lily**

"_What the hell were you thinking attacking my sisters?" Caleb demanded, stalking towards Callie who cowered in a corner. Spencer slumped into a chair, glowering at his former girlfriend._

"_I was defending myself because Anna attacked me and-"_

_Spencer interrupted her. "That's because you attacked Elsa!"_

"_Quiet!" Caleb barked. "Let Callie tell her side and then you can tell yours. Otherwise, be silent."_

_I'd never seen my mate so irate. I almost believed that if Elsa hadn't told her brother to let Callie go, he might have killed her. Caleb was a relatively easy-going alpha, a jokester even in the right circumstances, but then I reminded myself he was still a Laroche whether he lived with them or not, and the Laroche pack was terrifying, both in their number and in their strength. They were the last pack anyone ever wanted to cross. Somehow we had and we'd survived, but I knew that was because Spencer had saved Ren's life. Arya pardoned us for that reason and that reason only. I never intended to cross her again because as stubborn and as strong as I was, I had nothing on Arya Laroche._

"_Elsa told me that she and Spencer never had anything go on between them but she lied. Her scent was all over him and she told me that he told her loved her. Yes, I insulted Elsa but Anna attacked me first."_

"_Spencer, tell me what happened," Caleb ordered, turning around to face his second._

"_Callie accused me of screwing Elsa because she automatically assumed that because I smelled like Elsa, we'd been screwing each other. I told her we'd been practicing our dance routine because it'd been awhile since we'd done it and we needed to remember the steps before the party. She lost her head, saying I was screwing her over and she stormed off. Elsa went after her to try and smooth things over. She explained that she and I had gotten close because we'd both been through similar things and everything we've told Callie over and over again. Elsa even admitted we'd flirted for fun but that it never went farther than that because it _didn't. _Hear that Callie? It _didn't_."_

"_Hey, back on track," Caleb told his second firmly._

"_Anyway, then Callie got pissed that I danced ballroom with Elsa but hated it with her. And Elsa was right when she said that maybe Callie and I weren't good partners. I was great with Elsa, not with Callie. What really pissed me off was when Callie told Elsa that she was rebound girl, that I didn't love her, insinuated that Elsa was acting desperate and throwing herself at me and saying she kissed me first, which is true but means nothing, and had great pleasure in pointing out that she was my first time in everything: first girlfriend, first kiss, first time. She ended that with saying that I loved her, not Elsa, and that the only reason I was with Elsa was because I didn't, and I quote, want to break her fragile heart."_

"_Callie, I told you everything that happened. Why are you still so upset about this?" I asked._

"_Because how could he get over me in a year? We dated for seven years!" she cried._

"_The last two years of our relationship were terrible! We kept breaking up and getting back together. I'm sorry, but if you ask me, we never would've worked out in the long run," Spencer retorted._

"_You've known her a year, and you _love _her?"_

"_I do. There. Happy? Do you finally understand that I'm not in love with you anymore? Are you happy that Caleb is going to kill me for being in love with his little sister?"_

"_Why don't you love me anymore though? What changed?"_

"_You changed! You were acting different the last two years of our relationship and now, it's like I don't even know you! You're like a completely different person and I don't like it!" Spencer sighed. "That's all I have to say. Can I go to my room now?"_

"_Go. We'll talk in a minute," Caleb said. I saw Spencer gulp but he got him, shuffling out of our room with his head down. When he shut the door, Caleb faced Callie again. "You are not to leave your room unless I give you permission to. You will eat at separate times from the Laroche pack. Until you can learn to act like a normal person and not go attacking every person who disagrees with you, you're not leaving your room. Do you understand me?"_

"_Yes…" Callie said quietly._

"_And if I _ever_ catch you attacking either of the twins again, I will kill you. You do not touch my family, especially them. Go to your room. Lily, make sure she gets there and stays there, then grab Spencer on your way back."_

_Most times, I would tell him that he has two legs and to do it himself, but I decided otherwise. I escorted Callie to her room and shut the door behind her before going to Spencer's room. He told me to come in when I knocked. He was putting on a t-shirt as he asked bluntly, "What?"_

"_Caleb wants to speak with you," I said._

_Spencer sighed. "I'm in so much trouble."_

"_What all have you done?"_

"_Nothing! I mean, we just kissed for the first time a few days ago and yeah, she's been coming into my room to see me because I can't really go into her room without Anna getting suspicious… I'm sorry Lily. I know I've screwed a lot of things up."_

"_You have nothing to apologize for. You can't help who you love. If Caleb gets onto you, I'll defend you. You're a good guy."_

"_I don't want you getting hurt if you defend me. Caleb's so upset right now…"_

"_I can handle him. I have no problem telling him that he's being an ass. Come on. Let's get this over with." Spencer and I went back into my room. Although Caleb was still visibly livid over the whole situation, he'd managed to give himself a calmer appearance. Spencer took a seat in the armchair again, carefully watching Caleb. My mate leaned against the wall and asked, "How are you doing?"_

_Spencer furrowed his eyebrows together, obviously confused. "I'm… fine."_

"_You were on your knees when I arrived at the fight. What happened?"_

"_Callie punched me and kicked me in the balls when I tried to intervene in the argument."_

"_Why didn't you tell me that when she was in here?"_

"_I was too focused on the shit she was telling Elsa that wasn't true."_

"_Speaking of, is what you said earlier true?"_

"_That I love her? Yes. It's true. It's been true for a long time."_

"_What all have you two done?"_

"_We just had our first kiss a few days ago. And other than kissing, it hasn't been much. She wants to move slowly since she's never had a boyfriend and I'm not going to push her to do anything she doesn't want to do."_

"_You do know she's not a rebound girl, right?"_

"_Caleb," I growled in warning._

"_I'm not mad. I just want to make sure he knows he's not allowed to be with Elsa if he's using her as a rebound girl. She deserves better than that. That's all."_

"_Why do you think I didn't make a move on her sooner? Besides you being her older brother and my alpha, I wondered myself if I was just using her as a rebound girl but I figured out she wasn't when I nearly lost my freaking mind when Noah bit her arm and when she was kidnapped by Hunters and when she was dying in my arms and do you know how helpless I felt when Hunter had her by the throat, pinned to the wall? I thought she was going to die believing that I didn't really love her and I couldn't go through that again. I couldn't lose another person I loved having them believe I didn't love them back. Especially her." Spencer blinked, as if surprised by his own outburst. In a more reserved, quieter tone, he said, "She's not a rebound girl."_

"_Then you better go let her know that. You're the only person I approve to date her."_

"_You… you're actually going to let me date her?"_

"_Both of you deserve happiness after all you've been through and it hasn't escaped my notice that you two are all smiles around each other… mostly. You're a good guy Spencer and I trust you to treat Elsa right and to protect, even though we both know she can protect herself. We'll figure something out so the two of you can see each other when this war is over. She won't want to leave her family because of Anna so if you two truly believe you want to be mates, I give you permission to move down to Colorado."_

"_Caleb, I can't leave you and Lily. You need a beta and let's face it, Callie is in no shape to be a beta. So thank you for the offer, but I won't do that to you."_

"_But Elsa-"_

"_Would be the same way. Maybe if our pack was bigger, I wouldn't have such a hard time but I don't want to leave you and Lily by yourselves. I'm your beta. I can't leave you."_

"_You can if I give you permission," Caleb argued._

"_And you have, but I'm declining it. I won't leave you two. Getting to date her for the duration of this war will be okay. It's going to suck leaving her, but I can at least say I dated the girl I loved, at least for a little while."_

"_And you two say the Laroche's are hard headed. Fine. But the offer will always be open. Now go get your girl."_

"_Thank you Caleb." Spencer practically ran out of the room._

"_That was good of you," I said, walking over to him and sitting on his lap._

"_I trust him to be with her. I just hope it works out between them. I was being serious when I said they both deserve happiness. They've been through so much. It might be easier on both of them if they had each other to lean on. I hope you don't mind that I told Spencer he could join the Laroche pack if he really wanted to be with Elsa."_

"_No, I would've told him the same thing. But you have to remember, he's our beta. Next to alphas, the betas have the hardest job. They have to be there for the pack when we can't. Elsa, even if she's currently the omega, she's still a beta in her heart and mind and is going to act like it. If Anna hadn't come onto the scene, I think Elsa would've joined our pack by now or she would've in the future… have you ever thought about going back?"_

"_Honestly? More than ever since I've been back around them. But when I see them, no matter how dysfunctional they are now, they'd be even worse if I came along. Elsa, Anna, and Josilyn are the only ones who can know it's me."_

"_I'm sorry it has to be like this."_

"_Don't be. It's not your fault."_

"_But you're my mate, and despite your best efforts, I've seen the pain in you when you watch your family."_

"_I have a new pack now," Caleb said, lifting me up and carrying me to the bed. He set me down gently before crawling on top of me. "Not to mention, I have a beautiful, kind, hilarious, blunt as hell, amazing mate that I would never leave."_

_Caleb kissed me, cupping my face. I flipped him over so that I was on top of him, my lips never leaving his. I pulled away and breathed, "I love you."_

"_I love you too."_

* * *

The discussion earlier kept replaying through my head over and over. I kept thinking about Callie and her new personality, Spencer and his dilemma of staying with us and being with Elsa, and Caleb's inability to let his family know it was him.

My mate was currently stretched out on the couch in wolf form, head draped over the arm of the couch. I was working on hotel business when someone knocked softly on the door. I got up and answered it.

"Mrs. Laroche, hi," I said, moving aside so she could come in.

"Why aren't you in your room? It's three in the morning. You should be asleep," she told me, walking into the room. Her tone wasn't angry, it was almost… caring. But then again, I had to admit, it felt nice to have someone other than my pack asking me if I was okay. I had to admit, it felt good having someone act like a mother to me.

"I came here to be with Stark and Spencer and Elsa, make sure they were all okay after what happened. Stark was already going to come watch over Elsa but Spencer was adamant that he be here too. He probably won't leave her side until she's completely healed, and probably until he knows Hunter is safe to be around again. They're all asleep right now though so if you wanted to talk to any of them, it's kind of futile… how are you doing? You must be tired."

Arya smiled tiredly. "I've certainly been better. The Searchers ran tests on Hunter and found a drug in his system, stuff to make him not only angrier, but stronger. It's what made him lose all his sanity. They have him in the hospital wing strapped to a bed because we have no idea when this drug is going to wear off of him. When he wakes up, we have no idea if he's going to be the nice, normal son I know, or the-"

"-psycho who tried to kill his sister?" I finished.

"Accurate way to put it. I owe your mate. He saved Elsa's life."

"She's like a little sister to him. He would protect her with his life. Plus, she's an unofficial member of our pack since she's so close to Spencer."

"Good. Listen, I told Ren about why Elsa was sneaking out to see you guys. I talked to my son, Caleb, and he told me your pack was her link to him. She had always been close to him. Losing him devastated her almost as bad as losing Anna."

"I'm sorry we came into your territory without saying anything. We didn't think we'd be there that long. Then Elsa came along and Stark got attached to her in a… big brother sort of way. Not to mention Spencer was doing so much better around her. He was smiling, _laughing_ even. He lost both of his parents in the explosion… he believes they thought he hated them when they died but he was just angry. They'd lied to him about being his adoptive parents because he was so angry at his real parents because he thought they'd abandoned him simply because they didn't want them but that wasn't the case. Michael and Elaine told him that they couldn't afford to keep him financially when they first had him so they gave him to the Searchers when he was born. They took him back when he was three but could never bring themselves to tell him that they were his real parents, especially when they found out the resentment he had towards his birth parents. The explained that they wanted him to love them for whom he thought they were rather than who they really are. Last thing he said to them was that he now didn't love them as either, broke up with Callie, and stormed out. He's never been the same after that morning. The first time I saw the teeniest glimpse of the old Spencer was when Elsa entered his life. I convinced Stark to stay for that reason, although I lied saying I thought the change of scenery was helping Spencer. I mean it wasn't a total lie, it was just… omitting some details."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"So you can at least know why we did what we did. We never meant to cause problems between your pack nor did we ever mean to cause Elsa any grief. It's our fault she's the omega. I hope one day she's reinstated as beta."

"I'm working on that with my husband. He thinks keeping her as omega will make her become more obedient but if anything, it's only made her bolder. She's challenged him more as an omega than as a beta. Lily, what you and your pack have gone through is horrific. Speaking from experience, I fully understand what you're going through. As alphas, we have to be there for the rest of the pack, and often times, we don't have anyone we can go to. But if you or Stark or Spencer ever need to talk about that day or anything in general, you can come to me."

"Thank you Mrs. Laroche. I hope our packs can have a better relationship now."

"I'll make sure they will. When Hunter is normal again, I'll explain to him why Elsa snuck out to see y'all so he'll finally understand that. Would you like me to take watch so you can get some sleep?"

"No, no, I'm wide awake. Besides, you need sleep. Thank you for the offer though. If anything happens, I'll come get you immediately."

"Thank you. Good night Lily."

"Good night Mrs. Laroche." She kissed her daughter on the head and left the room. I went back to the couch where I began working on hotel business again.

* * *

**Ren**

Arya came back into the room about three-thirty in the morning. My wife hadn't slept since eight that morning. In five hours, she would have been up for twenty-four hours. She needed sleep but she refused to do so until Hunter woke up. She walked in with a cup of coffee which instantly told me just how exhausted she was. My wife _hated _coffee with the exception of chicory coffee from New Orleans. Of course when she sat down, I could smell the chicory coffee, telling me someone must've gotten a can of the mix for her to make.

"Any sign of him waking up?" Arya asked, rubbing her eyes.

"No. Love, get some sleep. You need it and you're not helping anyone by staying awake. You're only hurting yourself."

"My son was drugged by the Hunters and went on a rampage, nearly killing our daughter and injuring countless of others, not to mention he broke Josilyn's hand. I'm not going to sleep until I make sure he's okay as well."

"How is everyone?" I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to me.

"Elsa's neck is still swollen and her face is red and puffy, but she's alive. Spencer is sleeping in her bed. Lily and Stark are watching over them. Anna had a few broken ribs which are already healing and will be fully healed by the end of today. Dom was ripped to shreds but according to Anna, Stark gave him blood because Dom wouldn't let Anna give him any. Then there's Spencer who really should have been checked out I think, but besides a gash on his head and a concussion from Hunter throwing a rock at his head, he should be fine. He's strong. He lasted a long time against Hunter. I commend him for it. Noah has a really bruised jaw but otherwise, he's okay. He's already healing. Ember, Jake, and Oliver are watching him. Josilyn's hand is still healing despite how much blood Gracie, Diana, and Dmitri. She just heals differently than us. An x-ray showed that it wasn't a serious break so it should be completely healed in the next couple days. Thea and Riley are fine, just worried about everyone. The other pack members are shaken up but good nonetheless."

"I'm glad everyone's okay but I'm not necessarily okay with Spencer being in Elsa's bed," I growled.

"Ren, he's passed out just like her. Even being injured badly himself, he insisted he stay by her side according to Lily."

"She's watching them?"

Arya nodded. "Both she and Stark are very protective of Elsa. Lily said Stark became attached to Elsa in a big brother sort of way. Maybe because he knows how much she means to Caleb."

"I can't believe you spoke to him. After all these years… I know I asked this before but he sounded well?"

"He did. He sounded nervous, but he got better as the conversation went on. I'm just glad to know he's alive. All this time I wondered whether he was alive or not."

"He said he had a girlfriend?"

"He did. He said she's wonderful. He has a second that kind of reminds him of Riley."

"I wonder what he looks like now. He had been so tall and skinny, but still strong. I'm sure he's grown even more."

"I have no idea. We only talked on the phone. I didn't want to ask for a picture of him quite yet."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Always."

"I found a piece of paper with a number on it that said not to call it unless you were alone. The night I was shot, that's the number I was calling. It went to voicemail. Did you ever call it?"

"I did. It was Caleb, but I didn't know it at the time. He told me he hadn't been ready to talk to me that day."

"Why?"

Arya shrugged. "From what I gathered, he was embarrassed. I guess Elsa told him about how everyone was worried you and I were going to divorce because of our arguments and he said he wanted to come home the moment he left but that he thought it was for the best of the pack that he stay away."

"He's always welcome home. If anyone had a problem with that, they could deal with me about it. I hope he knows that the reason I treated him differently after that isn't because I didn't trust him, but because I was worried about him. I was terrified that if I left him by himself, the Hunters might try and come finish the job. They almost killed him… I still remember that day so clearly. I can still smell the blood covering our house."

"This war is going to end all of this. We're either going to end the Hunters or they're going to end us."

"Let's make it be the first one."

The two of us fell silent. Arya sipped her coffee quietly but I saw her blinking her eyes in an attempt to stay awake. Around four, I began to nod off until I heard a weak voice say, "Mom? Dad?"

"Hunter!" Arya exclaimed. Immediately I was next to my son's side. In a soft voice, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel awful," my son mumbled. His eyes were barely open but he was still awake. "What… what happened? I don't remember anything after ordering a diet coke from the bar."

"You don't remember anything?"

Hunter shook his head. "No. Last thing I remember is taking big sips of a diet coke and that's it. Did I black out or something?"

"No, honey, you didn't black out," my wife said gently.

"Then what happened? Mom, why can't I remember anything?" Hunter demanded, trying to sit up. It was then that he realized he was firmly strapped to the bed. He began struggling until Arya and I calmed him down.

"We had to strap you down not just for our safety, but yours too," I said. "You really don't remember anything?"

"No. All I remember are some flashes of dreams I had while I've been out. Elsa and Spencer were in there. A strange guy in the shadows that turned into a Guardian. I couldn't see his face but he attacked me… Mom, Dad, what did I do to be strapped to the bed?" Hunter's eyes flitted worriedly between the two of us.

"When you were at the club, the Hunters somehow drugged your drink. It made you stronger and angrier. You tried to attack someone at the club. Noah and Dmitri got you back here. Josilyn tried to get you back to the room but you lashed out at her, knocking her to the ground. She broke her hand trying to break the fall."

Hunter paled. "I hurt Josie?"

"You weren't in your right mind. It's not your fault."

"But I still hurt her. Not only did I hurt her, but I caused her to break her hand!" Hunter took a deep breath. "Did… did I hurt anyone else?"

"You punched Noah when he defended her."

"Is he okay?"

"He has a bruised cheek but otherwise, he's okay."

"Is that all? Tell me that's all I did."

Arya shook her head. "Elsa distracted you by having you target her which I found out from Thea and Riley. They came and got me while you went after Elsa. You had her on the ground and were about to bite her when Spencer knocked you off of her. Anna and Dom were there too. You attacked Dom, shredded his chest up pretty good but he's doing okay. Anna's taking care of him. Anna tried to get you off of him but you hit her in the ribs. It broke a few but they're already healing and will be completely healed by the end of today. Spencer got you away from those three. I don't know what happened when you were fighting Spencer but Elsa joined and got your attention. The two of them almost subdued you after Elsa kicked you and Spencer punched you, but you threw a rock at his head and knocked him out. Then you pinned Elsa to the wall and tried to choke her to death. Stark stopped you."

"I almost killed Elsa? I hit Anna?" Hunter started straining against the straps. "I have to go apologize to them. I have to make things right. I need to go apologize to Josilyn and make sure she still loves me and-"

"Hunter, stop," I commanded. My son looked up at me. "Everyone is asleep right now. It's past four in the morning."

"How… how long have I been out?"

"A few hours. The Searchers were able to flush the drug out of your system."

"Why was I trying to kill my pack mates though? I mean I didn't try to kill Noah or Josilyn but I was trying to kill my own sister… why was I trying to kill Elsa?"

"I don't know. She passed out pretty soon after the fight. Her injuries exhausted her."

"Is she going to be okay? What injuries did I give her?"

"She'll be okay with rest and blood. Spencer, Stark, and Lily are watching her right now."

"What injuries did I give her?" Hunter repeated.

Arya sighed. I knew she wanted to spare Hunter's feelings right now but he was an alpha and when he wanted to know something, he made sure he found out. "Her throat swelled up to the point she could barely breathe or talk. Her face is puffy and red and swollen. It's gone down thanks to her drinking some blood right after the incident but until she wakes up to have more, it'll be slow to heal."

Hunter turned his head away from us, facing the ceiling instead. His face was getting red, as if ready to cry. It took a lot to make Hunter upset, I wanted to give the Hunters a slow, painful death for causing my son so much grief. My son didn't deserve this.

"I'm sorry," Hunter finally whispered. "I don't… I don't remember what happened except for those small snippets, but I just remember seeing Spencer and Elsa and that strange guy. I don't remember what I felt like or what they were saying. I don't know why I had a personal vendetta against Elsa. I mean yes, I'm mad at her for sneaking out to see the Stark pack and for hanging out with them, but I'm not so mad that I'm to the point where I thought about killing her for it."

"Hunter, about that, I did find out the real reason she was sneaking out to see them," Arya said quietly.

"You mean she lied about why she was sneaking out to see them again?"

"The Stark pack knows Caleb and somehow, Elsa found out they knew him. They were her link to him. She's been talking to him for months now. She never told us because Caleb didn't want her to."

"W-why didn't he want us to know? Where is he? How does the Stark pack know him?"

"He thought that if he came back into our lives, it would cause a lot of problems. I'm not sure where he is now, just that he's safe, and I don't know how they know him. I think they're friends."

"Elsa knows where he is, doesn't she?"

"I believe so, although she would never admit it if she did. She's been protecting Caleb for a long time now and she won't stop any time soon."

"Did you talk to Caleb?"

Arya nodded. "The other day. On the phone."

"Do you think you could convince him to talk to me?"

Arya cocked her head. "I can try, but why do you want to talk to him?"

"I want to apologize for all the things I said to him because I never got a chance to and maybe if he hears that, he'll come home for you."

"Honey, Caleb makes his own decisions. He has a new life now as an alpha of a new pack and that new life doesn't include us. When and if he wants to come home, he will do so on his own terms."

"He's an alpha?"

"He is. He has a girlfriend too… I think he's doing okay."

"He should be here, with us. I ran him off."

"You never should've said what you did to him, but Caleb still made the decision to leave on his own. Don't beat yourself up over it anymore. Do you understand me?"

"Yes…"

"Good. Now get some sleep. You got beat up in this process too and you need your rest to heal. You can apologize to everyone in the morning. I'll go with you. I love you."

"Love you too mom," Hunter replied. Arya kissed him on the head and rested her head on my shoulder. In record time, my wife was asleep.

"Dad? If Caleb did come back, what would happen to the pack?" Hunter inquired quietly.

"We would give him the south compound. That's why we had it built. We had the plans drawn up two years before Caleb left, and they started building a year later. We'd originally been going to split the pack up between you and Caleb. When Caleb left, the building was halted for a bit until your mom and I decided that we would continue living in the current compound and give you and the other kids the new compound to rule that side of the territory. However, if your brother came back and decided to stay, he would get the new compound and you'd stay in the current one. Your mom and I and the rest of the adults would move into Arya's parents' old compound."

"I miss grandma and grandpa," Hunter said.

"Me too. They took good care of us," I said. Vivian and Jeremy Lightwood had passed away right after Elsa and Anna had been born. The rest of their pack either died in the first war against the Hunters or from broken hearts over losing their children when the Hunters blew up the south compound.

"Do you think the pack will forgive me?" Hunter queried.

"They will, especially after you explain what happened."

"Even Josilyn and the twins? I mean I broke Josie's hand, broke Anna's ribs, and nearly killed Elsa. They must hate me."

"Josilyn doesn't understand what made you push her but she doesn't hate you. Anna is more worried about Elsa and Dom than anything else. She might be mad at you for attacking but she knows you weren't in your right mind when you did. Elsa loves you. She told you that right before Stark stopped you from crushing her windpipe."

"I need to make it up to all of them somehow."

"I think if you want to make it up to Elsa, tell her you know and understand why she was sneaking out to see the Stark pack. I think that'll do wonders. Anna will forgive you if Elsa does. Josilyn will forgive you no matter what."

"I need to really make it up to Josilyn though. I always told her I'd protect her but what do I do? I break her hand."

"You'll figure it out Hunter. We Laroche men are good at that. Usually."

"Thank you… I think."

"Get some rest son. You can think about all this when you wake up." I unstrapped Hunter's wrists and legs. He told me good night and went to sleep. I sat back down and rest my head on Arya's, falling asleep within a few minutes.

* * *

**Review please :)**


	42. Chapter 42

**SACarter, you're going to love me forever for this chapter**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**I believe the answer that will not get me in trouble with you is: the happiest day of my life."  
****~Ren, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 42

**Hunter**

I woke up at eleven in the morning. Mom and dad were still there but this time in different clothes. They must've left at some point to take showers and put on clean outfits. Mom was reading a book, dad was asleep. She smiled at me when she realized I was awake.

"Morning sweetie," mom greeted, putting down her book. "How are you feeling?"

"I'd feel better if I could go start apologizing to people," I replied.

"Are you going to want to start with Josilyn?"

"No. I want to talk to her last. I have a feeling that will be the longest talk of all. Mom, I had an idea but I need dad's help because I have no idea where to start." I told my mom what I needed and she beamed.

"I think it's a great idea. I want a lot of protection around you so take Shiloh and Loren with you as well. I can hold down the fort while you four are gone. Do you feel well enough to do that today though?"

I nodded. "But I want to take a shower. I need to clean the blood off of me."

"All right. You go do that and I'll wake up your dad and tell Loren and Shiloh. You go do what you need to. You don't need to worry about Josilyn being in y'all's room. She's in the garden right now reading a book. I'll have one of the girls distract her and keep her there to make sure she doesn't go to your room."

"Thank you mom."

"Of course. Now go get ready. I'll see you soon." I rolled out of bed, shuffling to my room. I managed to shower and get dressed without too much pain. Bruises and bite marks covered my body, but none of them had been so deep that they broke any bones. The bite marks didn't even hit any major arteries. It was as if Stark had simply been trying to weaken me rather than kill me. I might have actually believed he hadn't wanted to kill me except for the faint teeth marks on my neck. Sighing, I threw on a shirt, some jeans, and a jacket, all the while wondering how on earth I was going to convince my pack to trust me again. Why had the Hunters drugged me? Of everyone in the pack, they'd gone for me. Why?"

Someone knocked on the door, snapping me out of my thoughts. I took a deep breath before opening it. To my disbelief, Dom was standing there.

"Heard you were up and normal again. Figured I should come check that out for myself," Dom said. "You are normal again, right? You're not going to shred me to pieces?"

I gave him an up-down. Besides a small cut on his head and a few scratches on his arms, he looked pretty healthy. "I'm normal. The Hunters drugged me with something that made me do what I did. I'm really sorry for attacking you. I don't even remember doing it. I have a few snippets of Elsa, Spencer, and a guy in the shadows but other than that, nothing. Are you doing better?"

"Yeah, Stark and a few of your pack mates gave me blood. Healed me up nicely. Look, do you remember what the bartender looked like that filled up your drink?"

"Uh, sort of. Why?"

"Let's say the Searchers need information about how that drug got in your drink and since interrogation is a specialty of mine, I was going to go get some answers." Dom pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. "Which bartender served you?"

"That one," I said, pointing to the bald one in the middle. "He served me."

"Thanks. I'll get on that. Glad you're feeling better." Dom started to leave but I stopped him.

"How's Anna?"

"Better. Ribs are practically fully healed. There's small hairline fractures in them still but those will be gone in an hour or so. She's going with me to the bar to help me interrogate."

"What? Why?"

"She… wasn't the only one that worked with the Hunters. I did too until I found out what their real agenda was. I was young, I needed money, and they offered me a great job. They told me they were a bounty hunter group but also were an extermination group. They said they were searching for this nuisance wolf pack and these people named the Laroches. I was never told the wolf pack and the Laroches were the same. There were other jobs they sent me on that had nothing to do with you and your pack, and those were the missions she joined me on by order of the Hunters. Anna had no idea her family was alive. They kept her ignorant for a reason because the moment she found out, she fled. The moment I found out about your pack, I started planning my own escape and to help Anna find you. She left without me though."

"Anna was an interrogator?"

Dom nodded. "A damn good one. She asked the questions, I was the physical side, but not because she couldn't do it herself. I was there to make sure she was safe half the time."

"So you're an ex-Hunter turned Searcher who's dating a Guardian?"

"Anna and I aren't dating. We used to though."

"What happened?"

"Another Hunter kissed me right when Anna came into the room. Nothing I said could convince Anna that I wasn't cheating on her. I loved your sister. I still do."

"Have you told her that?"

"Don't think she'd believe me. She's finally talking to me again. We started a new slate with each other. I don't want to ruin that. Besides, she's a Guardian, I'm human. It wouldn't work out."

"It could."

"I'll think about it. Thanks for the help Hunter. Glad you're doing better. I'll see you later."

"Thanks. Tell Anna I'll see her in a bit. I'm heading out with my dad, Loren, and Shiloh."

"No offense, but after what happened at the club, is it safe for you to go out?"

"I'll have my dad, his second, and mom's second. They're the three strongest in the pack next to me and Noah. I'll be fine. Besides, it's urgent I go."

"All right. Well, be safe, try not to kill anyone."

"Thanks," I muttered. Dom grinned as he walked away. I went back into my room to grab my wallet before heading back to my dad. I rounded the corner that led to my dad's room when I literally bumped into Noah. My second's eyes practically bulged out of his head.

"What are you doing up?" Noah asked, slowly backing away from me.

"I'm not going to attack you. The Hunters drugged me at the bar last night which caused my freak-out last night. I'm really sorry about punching you. I don't remember doing it," I told him, grimacing at the sight of the bruise on his cheek.

"I don't care that you hurt me. I can take it. I'm mad you hurt my sister."

"I don't remember pushing her. I only know because mom and dad told me. But I'm going to make it up to her if she'll let me come near her. I'm going out now to get her something."

"What are you getting her?" Noah inquired. So I told him. Once again, his eyes bulged out of head. "Seriously? If you're going to get her that, then I'm coming too. I want to see this in person. Besides, I might shop around a little."

"You want to get Ember a Pandora charm or something? Her birthday is coming up after all."

"I thought about it. Maybe something a little more expensive."

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then I approve. Although you might want to talk to my mom and dad about it first."

"I will. Let's go see them now." My beta and I walked to my parents' room. Their door was open. Upon entering, I found mom, dad, Shiloh, and Loren talking.

"Hey, see you have one pack member back on your side," dad remarked. "How you feeling, Noah?"

"Fine, sir," my second replied.

"Since when do you call me sir?"

I nudged Noah, encouraging him to speak. "Um, Ren, Arya, dad, I uh… for Ember's birthday, I want to get her a ring… an engagement ring."

"Why?" Dad asked, standing up. Mom slipped her hand in his, more I think to hold dad back in case he had a bad reaction to what Noah was asking. Unlike dad, mom was barely containing her excitement about the news.

"I want your permission to ask Ember to marry me," Noah declared.

"You have it," Dad answered.

"Please, sir, I promise- wait what?"

"You have my permission to marry Ember."

"That was… easy," Noah mused. "Thank you, sir, I mean Ren. I promise I'll take care of her."

"I know you will. I trust you. Come shopping with us."

"Considering you're asking my daughter to marry you, I think you might need a woman's opinion. Ember's picky about her jewelry," Mom noted.

"Please. I want it to be perfect."

"Let me grab my purse. Ren, go get Adne so we can get a portal." She kissed dad on the cheek. While dad, Noah, and Loren left the room. Shiloh and I hung back.

"Mr. McKay?" I asked.

"Oh no, not you too," Shiloh groaned.

"Shiloh!" Mom hit him on the arm.

Her second laughed. "Kidding."

"I wanted to apologize to you for hitting Noah and breaking Josilyn's hand. I have no recollection of doing it and please know that I would never had done that to either of them if I hadn't been drugged. I would never purposefully hurt your daughter or your son."

"I know. Your parents told me everything. You can relax. I'm not going to kill you."

"Everything?"

"Everything. I wouldn't be going on this trip if I didn't believe you. Come on, let's go shopping. Noah's going to need a lot of help picking out that ring."

"I'll meet you there. I want to talk to my mom first." Shiloh left the room. Mom turned to face me, a questioning look on her face. "I didn't want to say this in front of them, but do you think she'll say yes?"

"She will. I know she will. Let's go. It's been too long since I've been in a jewelry shop and I can't wait to help pick a ring out."

We got back to the Academy two hours later. By then it was nearly two in the afternoon. Ember was the first to greet us. Noah strode over to her, planting a big kiss on her lips.

"Hello beautiful," he said.

"Well hello to you too. Where did you go?"

"Shopping with your parents and Hunter. I have to go put my stuff in my room but I'll come by yours after." Kissing her on the cheek, my second practically ran out of the foyer. Ember watched him leave. Once out of sight, she turned around and asked, "What's gotten into him?"

"He's just in a good mood," Dad laughed.

Ember's eyes rested on me. She exclaimed my name and threw her arms around me, hugging the living daylights out of me.

"I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried about you! I mean I was also scared of you but that's passed since you're fine now. You _are_ fine right?" Ember pulled away. I nodded, explaining what happened and apologizing over and over again. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault. You didn't know what you were doing. I'm going to go see Noah and see what he bought but I'll see you later?"

"Definitely. I have to go make some rounds apologizing and explaining what happened."

"Have fun with that one. You'll be okay. They'll forgive you if they haven't already." Ember walked off. I waited until she was out of earshot before asking, "You really think Noah will be able to hide it from her until her birthday?"

"He'll hide it, but she'll know he's hiding something," Shiloh remarked. I'm going to go talk to Carrie. I'll see you all later."

"Mom, dad, I'll see you at dinner. I have some apologizing to go do. Love you." My parents returned the sentiment and I walked off. After dropping my bags off in my room, shoving them under the bed so Josilyn wouldn't come across them, I first headed to the rooms of the people I didn't physically hurt. Thankfully it didn't take long. Most of them had found out from their parents what had happened to me. All of them said they were glad I was safe and sane again. I told them that if it ever happened again, to knock me out as fast as possible. They promised me they would.

The first room I visited after them was Anna's. I figured she might be the easiest to convince I was sorry. When I knocked, she yelled at me that I could come in. I opened the door, poking my head in. Anna was on her bed with Dom, looking at stuff on the computer.

"How are you feeling?" I asked. Anna looked up at me. I saw her tense up. I held up my hands. "I'm not going to attack. Searchers gave me a clean bill of health. The drug that made me go nuts is all out of my system."

"Anna, I told you he was fine," Dom said,

"I know you did," she retorted, getting up out of bed. My sister walked over to me and hugged me. "I'm glad you're okay again. Just remind me never to piss you off."

"Even when I'm pissed, I don't hurt my pack mates. I'm really, really sorry for hitting you. I don't remember doing it. The drug-"

"-blocked out the memories. I know. Dom told me. You don't have to explain it to me."

"I needed to apologize though, whether you'd forgiven me already or not. You just came back and I didn't want you thinking that me going berserk on my pack mates was a normal occurrence."

"I think if it was, Elsa would've warned me about it."

"Right… speaking of Elsa, I need to go see her, if she'll even let me near her…" I rubbed my forehead in an attempt to get rid of my headache that was a result from my nerves.

"It's not Elsa you'll have to worry about," Dom remarked.

"What do you- oh, Stark and Spencer are with her."

"Good luck convincing them you're normal again," he laughed.

"Dom," Anna hissed.

"What? I'm just wishing him luck!"

My sister looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. "Don't listen to him Hunter. Be careful though. If Spencer and Stark think you're coming after her, they won't hesitate to kill you this time."

"I know. I'll see you at dinner, okay?" Giving Anna a hug, I went to Elsa's room. I could hardly hear Elsa telling me to enter when I knocked. I'd barely taken a step inside her room when Stark leapt off the bed, shifting into a wolf so quickly midair that I didn't get a look at his face. He raised his haunches at the sight of me, snarling. Immediately Spencer was by his alpha's side, but unlike Stark, Spencer charged me, slamming into the door. For a guy who had been so injured according to my parents, he'd healed remarkably fast and had gotten most of his strength back, if not all of it.

I tried shoving him off but it didn't work.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Spencer growled.

"I'm here to see Elsa," I said. "Let go of me. I'm not going to kill her."

"Spencer, let him go," Elsa said weakly. I saw her hands wrap around Spencer's arms, gently tugging at him to let go. He backed off but continued glowering at me for a few seconds. Finally he turned around.

"Elsa, get back in bed," he said, spinning her around and walking her back to her bed. I followed him cautiously, keeping a careful eye on Stark who kept his haunches raised, but at least he'd stopped snarling. Spencer was sitting on the edge of the bed next to my sister.

"I'll be fine. He's not dangerous anymore," Elsa insisted.

"I-I just came to apologize and help heal her if she'd let me," I explained.

"I think you've helped her enough," Spencer retorted.

"Don't talk to him like that," my sister snapped.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Spencer, I'm sorry for attacking you and hitting you in the head with a rock. I wasn't in my right mind. When my pack and I went to the club, the Hunters were able to spike my drink with a drug that increased my strength and my anger. I don't remember attacking you. I had a couple images of you and Elsa and a guy in the shadows but when I woke up, I thought it was from a dream I had. I don't remember any feelings I had towards any of you, I don't remember what I said. I only know about what happened from what my parents told me." I looked down at Stark. "Thank you for stopping me from killing Elsa. I don't know what I would've done if I had. I wouldn't have been able to handle it if I killed my own sister, drugged or not."

Stark lowered his head in acceptance of my apology. He even lowered his haunches. I looked back at Spencer and Elsa. My sister still refused to look at me. Her hair fell in front of her face.

"Elsa, can you please look at me?" I asked softly. When she shook her head, I said, "I know the reason you were sneaking out. The real reason. I know they know Caleb."

She lifted her head ever so slightly. Spencer glanced at her. The two of them had a silent conversation before she said, "Spencer, Stark, can I talk to Hunter alone? Please?"

"Howl if you need me," Spencer told her, giving her a gentle kiss on the head. He left with Stark right after that. I heard my sister take a deep breath before she looked at me. My shoulders sagged as I stared at my sister's swollen face and neck. If this was what it looked like after healing some, I was glad I hadn't come earlier like I'd wanted to.

"I-I did that to you?" I stammered.

She dropped her head back down, fiddling with the blankets. "Yeah… mom told me you were up and that you were better. She said you wanted to come see me because you were really upset about hurting the pack. I was hoping you'd come later so I'd be healed even more. I feel like I'm adding insult to injury by letting you see me like this."

"I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry," I breathed. I hesitated before sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Oh god… I almost killed you. I didn't- I never- Elsa, nothing I can say can ever be enough for what I did to you."

"Hunter, I'm fine. You didn't know you were doing it. Besides, with what you were saying to me, maybe if I'd told you sooner about the Starks knowing Caleb, this wouldn't have happened."

"What exactly was I saying?" She bit her lip, alerting me she didn't want to tell me. "Elsa, please. I want to know."

"That I was the reason all the problems started in the pack, that I destroyed mom and dad because they didn't know what to do with me, and that if all the problems started with me, they should end with me. But you were right. All the problems with the pack started with me."

"That's not-"

"No, it is. I brought Spencer into our lives even though you didn't like him. I risked the safety of the pack by sneaking out to see them. I let my excitement to talk with Caleb cloud my judgment. This is my fault. You were right Hunter, about everything you said. The words stung more than the injuries."

"Please, don't think this is your fault. I didn't understand why you were so close to the Starks then but believe me, in normal mode, I was never so mad that I wanted to kill you. Why did you never tell us about the Starks knowing Caleb?"

"I should've told you. I was just afraid that if I said anything to anyone, Caleb wouldn't talk to me anymore. I missed him really badly."

"He loved you. He still does. If you told anyone, he wouldn't stop talking to you. Did you ever see him?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes. Multiple times. He even came to my graduation with the Starks. He surprised me. I talk to him every day. He makes sure I'm safe."

"Does he know about what happened?"

"Yes. I explained everything that happened."

"I'm sure he wanted to kill me."

"Wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Elsa joked.

I actually smiled. "No, it wouldn't."

"Are you coming to dinner tonight?"

"I don't know. I thought about just getting some soup from the kitchen and eating in my room. Why?"

"We're having a special dinner tonight. Formal wear. If you can't, that's fine, but it'd mean a lot if you came."

"I'll do it for you. I'll get some more rest before then so I can get some more of this swelling to go down. I'd ask Stark and Lily for more blood to help get the healing process go faster but they've already given me so much and Spencer needs to finish healing himself so I won't ask him."

"Let me give you some."

"No, you just got well. I don't want to-"

"You need more blood. You wouldn't let me heal your arm so let me heal what I did to you. Don't make me give you an alpha's order."

Elsa sighed. "Fine."

"Thank you. _Then_ you can sleep."

I gave her blood until I visibly saw the swelling going down. Then, and only then, did I allow her to go to sleep. Spencer and Stark were waiting outside her door when I exited her room. I told them about dinner that night. Spencer accepted the invitation. I assumed Stark did as well but he also didn't say anything so who knows if that was a yes or a no.

I walked back to my room, hoping Josilyn would be in there. If she wasn't and she came in while I was already in there, I feared it might frighten her to the point it could cause a problem with her heart. Thankfully, she was in there. She was lying on her stomach on the bed, watching a movie on her laptop. I cleared my throat to announce myself. Josilyn looked over her shoulder, flipping onto her back the moment she saw me.

"Hunter!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been? Ember told me you were up and talking earlier. I kept expecting you to come find me but you didn't."

"I didn't know what to say," I confessed. "Saying 'sorry' doesn't feel adequate. Not only did I violently push you, I caused you to break your hand."

"It's mostly healed. Look!" Josilyn showed me her hand. Except for a little bruising, it looked fine, but that didn't help any. "It still hurts and of course I don't heal as fast as the others but I'll be as good as new in a couple of days."

"How are you not mad at me?" I asked in disbelief.

"Because you didn't do it on purpose," she replied, getting out of bed and walking up to me.

"Yes I did! I shoved you to the ground!"

"Because you were drugged and you weren't thinking clearly. That's why I'm not mad at you. I know you would never consciously hurt me."

"What did I ever do to deserve a girl like you?"

"You finally asked me out."

I laughed. "Best decision I ever made."

"I'm glad you're back to normal though. You were scary on that drug."

"I'm never letting that happen again. I promise." I pulled her into a hug, inhaling her perfume to calm my frayed nerves. She always smelled like roses. Maybe that was why whenever I smelled roses in a garden or in a store, I would always get a sense of calm. But that's what Josilyn did to me. She calmed me down and whether she knew it or not, Josilyn was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I needed to show her that too.

* * *

**Elsa**

Dinner was at seven so I woke up five-thirty so I'd have time to shower before getting dressed and doing my hair and makeup. Thanks to Hunter, Stark, and Lily, I'd been given so much blood that the swelling in my face and neck had gone down so significantly that I felt comfortable letting my pack see me. My face and neck were both still a little puffy but nothing like before, and the bruises on my neck could easily be hidden by some foundation and powder. I'd already put on all my makeup and was talking to Spencer, who was lounging on my bed, while I curled my hair. Unlike me, he only had to shower, put some gel in his hair, and throw on a suit. Needless to say I was jealous he was already done.

"Elsa?" Josie's voice called from outside.

"You can come in!" I shouted. I saw my friend come into my room from my mirror. She had her hair pulled into a beautiful bun with loose curls framing her face. Her makeup, while she wore some, was light, but of course Josilyn didn't need much makeup. She was naturally beautiful.

"Hey Spencer!" Josilyn chirped.

"Hey Josie." He smiled at her.

"Elsa, I need your help," my friend said.

"With what?"

"I have no idea what to wear tonight. You need to help me pick one out. When you're done curling your hair though." Josilyn plopped down beside me. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. Hunter gave me a lot of blood earlier and then Stark and Lily have been doing the same."

"What about you Spencer? How are you feeling?"

"Great. At least my world isn't spinning anymore like it was last night. That was an experience," Spencer remarked in amusement.

"How's your hand Josie?" I queried, getting the last strand of hair to curl.

"Better. Hunter gave me some blood too, so did Noah. Speaking of, my brother is on cloud nine. Do you know why?"

"No idea. But then again your brother and I aren't exactly close," I laughed.

"True. What are you wearing tonight?"

"I think I have a dress in mind. It's a white lace one. Come on, let's go. Spencer, you come too. I need another pair of eyes." He rolled off my bed and followed us. We entered Josie's room. Spencer sat in a chair while I went into Josie's closet and helped her pick out an outfit. I had her select a purple dress, a light pink one, and a white one. While she changed, I stood up and started putting on my earrings that I'd grabbed on the way out the door.

Josie tried on the yellow one first and that was an instant no. It seemed too casual for the occasion. She went back into the dressing room to try on the purple one. I was walking around, trying to get my second earring in when it slipped out of my hand, flying under the bed. I groaned, getting on all fours and looking underneath the bed. There were a bag underneath there and since I couldn't feel my earring on the carpet, I figured it must've bounced into the bag. Rather than doing the rational thing and pulling the bag out, I opened it underneath the bed. I pulled out a shirt with a price tag still on it, a pink velvet box, and finally my earring. Standing up, I put my earring in before curiosity got the better of me and I opened up the velvet box. It revealed an engagement ring with a thin, wavy band with diamond leaves sprouting out to the sides and a rose made of small diamonds. A light pink gemstone rested in the center of the diamond rose. I heard myself say, "Oh my god!"

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked, appearing next to my side.

"Everything okay out there?" Josilyn called from the closet.

"Yeah, yeah, just saw a spider," I lied, snapping the lid shut on the box and turning around, hiding my hand that held the box behind Spencer's back just as Josilyn came out.

"How do I look?" she queried, spinning in the dress.

"Good, but try on the white one. Just to make sure." Turning to Spencer, I said, "Would you mind going to find Hunter and telling him I'm coming to dinner?"

"Of course," Spencer answered, discreetly putting the ring box in his pocket. "I'll meet you back in your room."

Giving me a kiss, he left the room. Josilyn soon came out in the white dress. It was a tight, bandaged dress with thick bedazzled design for the straps and chest. The back had a plunging v-line.

"That's the one," I declared. "That is most definitely the one."

"Really? You don't think it's too… young?"

"Not at all! It's gorgeous! Now you need some jewelry." I went to her dresser, opening her jewelry box. I pulled out big diamond earrings, a diamond necklace, and a diamond bracelet. "Here, wear these."

"What about a ring?"

"Wear your promise ring. It's simple and I think you'll have enough diamonds on tonight. I have to run and get my dress on but I'll meet you at dinner, okay?"

"All right. Supposedly we have assigned seating."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I went in earlier to look. It's going to be gorgeous! I think you're sitting next to me."

"Sounds good. I'll see you soon." I ran out of her room back to mine. Spencer was already there. I ignored him though, raiding my closet to find my dress because I didn't want to be late for dinner. I'd already picked out my shoes which were simple, four inch, black, peep-toe stilettos. My dress was made of white lace with a deep V-neck. I found it in the very back of the closet. I threw it on but was having trouble zipping it up. I guess Spencer heard me grunting because he asked if I needed help.

"My zipper's stuck on this dress!" I yelled back. I went back to attempt to zip it up. If I couldn't do it in the next few seconds, I would have to change dresses.

"Want me to try?" Spencer offered. When I had more futile attempts, I gave in, walking out of the closet to him. He stood up, easily getting the zipper unstuck.

"Elsa, what's taking so long? You need to- am I interrupting something?" Ember queried mischievously.

"What? No. I couldn't get my dress to zip up so he was helping me. Get your head out of the gutter," I retorted.

"You know, I've noticed that in movies and books, when a guy is a helping a girl with a dress, he's usually helping her _out _of it, not _in_ it."

"First off, this isn't a movie or a book. Second, you read?"

"Ha ha, very funny. But seriously, get your butt moving. We need to get to dinner soon. Noah is all anxious to get there and I cannot deal with that alone. He's been in a weirdly happy mood all day. I miss my brooding, grumpy cat boyfriend."

"Wouldn't he be considered a grumpy wolf?" Spencer questioned.

"Yeah I guess he would be."

"Hey, Ember, would you go tell Hunter we're on our way in a few minutes. I need to do something."

"Yeah of course." Ember had a sparkle in her eyes like she knew something I didn't. She practically skipped out of the room.

"What do you need to do?" I asked, putting on my heels.

"I wanted to give you something. It's not a ring or anything like that," he laughed. Spencer pulled out a white velvet box and handed it to me. Opening it revealed a gorgeous diamond snowflake necklace.

"It's beautiful!" I gasped, pulling it out and dangling it in front of my eyes. "When on earth did you get this?"

"A couple days ago. I've been trying to find the right time to give it to you. Since we're going to a nice dinner, I thought you might like to wear it."

"Yes, I would love to wear it!" I put the box down so I could use both hands to put the necklace on. The necklace rested dead center of my chest. It was stunning. Turning around, I kissed Spencer and said, "I absolutely love it! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

"Might I ask why you bought me something so extravagant?"

"Because I love you."

"Don't let my brother hear you say that," I told him with a grin. "But for the record, I love you too."

"Caleb knows. When Callie attacked you, Caleb and I had a big talk about my relationship with you. He gave me permission to date you, if you want to. I know you wanted to try after the war so if you don't want to date now, I understand."

"Caleb really gave you permission?"

"Yeah. I was actually kind of shocked."

"What about Callie? She's not-"

"Lily said that Caleb told Callie she wasn't allowed out of her room until she could stop herself from attacking everyone that disagreed with her. She was also told that if she ever attacked you or Anna again, he'd kill her. Honestly, it's like I don't even know Callie anymore. She's completely changed. She never would've been like this before the Hunters took her."

"Are you sure you can handle my family?" I inquired, placing my hands on my hips.

"I've been doing it so far, haven't I?" Spencer countered.

"As my friend. Boyfriend is a whole new role."

"I can do it."

"Then I _guess_ I can be your girlfriend," I mused, attempting to keep a neutral expression but failing miserably as a huge smile spread across my face. Spencer cupped my face, pulling my lips to his.

"Come on beautiful, let's get to dinner." Spencer held his arm out for me. I looped mine through his. Upon arriving at the dining room, we were one of the last to come. Stark, in wolf form, Lily, Spencer, and Dom were seated at the far end of the table since they weren't part of the pack. I was seated next to Josilyn which surprised me. The omega was usually placed at the end of the table with the strangers. Anna sat on my other side. I think that was more because we were twins than anything else. Ironically, my twin had worn a lace dress as well, the only difference being it was black rather than white like mine.

Hunter and Josilyn were the last to arrive. My brother was beaming. We made eye contact and I gave him a big smile. He walked past me, pulled Josilyn's chair out for her, and pushed her in before coming over to me. He hugged me from behind, whispering ever so softly, "Thank you for coming. Also thank you for getting my ring for me."

"You're lucky I'm such a good liar. Josie almost found out."

Hunter kissed me and Anna on our cheeks and sat next to Josilyn. Dinner went by really quickly. It was a massive feast. We had prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, potato au gratin, carrots, and gravy for dinner. For dessert, we had Josilyn's favorite: apple pie. It happened to be my favorite as well. By the end of dinner, I was stuffed, actually in pain from eating so much. Conversation filled the dining room until Hunter stood up, clearing his throat. The room fell deathly silent. I could see my brother shift nervously.

"Thank you all for coming. I have an announcement to make. Earlier I was talking to my parents. Although this is still in the future, we decided it was about time you knew. After the rest of the pack has graduated high school, my future pack and I will be moving to the southern compound where we will begin our reign of the southern territory." Cheers from all the kids rose up, including me. Riley seemed especially thrilled. So far, as it stands, the main house will be mine and Josilyn's since we're together. The houses on either side of mine will be Elsa and Anna's, and Ember and Noah's. The house next to Elsa and Anna's will be Thea's and Riley's. The rest of the houses, we will decide once the rest of you have been paired off. If any of you have any requests, please come to me."

Hunter asked for Josilyn to stand up. She seemed confused as to why but did so anyway. Hunter continued on with his speech. "Now, we've all been through a lot in the past year between Hunters and a new pack and moving to the Academy and me going on a drugged rampage last night, which again, thank you all for forgiving me for that. I am truly sorry you witnessed that and I will never let it happen again. But through all that, we've all been there for each other. For me in particular, there's one person in particular that needs to be addressed about that." Hunter turned to Josilyn, taking her hands in his. "Josilyn, you've stood by me through thick and thin, good and bad. You always saw the best in me no matter what, you have always been the one to calm me down, and you've been my rock through everything that's happened. A year ago, I took you to dinner at Dunnravens and gave you a promise ring to show you how much I appreciated you and loved you. But I think you need a different ring today. I know we're still young, but Guardian's always find their mates for life when they're young and I am no exception."

I could see Josilyn getting red in the face as she began figuring out what was happening. Hunter pulled the ring box out of his pocket as he got down on one knee. "Josilyn Louise Laroche, will you-?"

* * *

**Josilyn**

The moment Hunter got down on one knee, I knew what was happening. My heart started beating so fast I was sure I would pass out, but somehow I managed to stay conscious.

"Josilyn Louise Laroche," Hunter began, "Will you-"

I didn't let him finish. "Yes! A thousand times yes!"

My boyfriend, now fiancé, laughed at my enthusiasm. He slid the rose ring onto my finger. The light pink stone was dazzling and was impossible to miss by how big it was. Hunter lifted my head up so he could kiss me. All around us my pack was clapping and hollering. Some of them even shifted and howled. Caleb had joined in the howling. When Hunter and I broke the kiss, Elsa pulled me into a hug.

"Congratulations! We're finally going to be sisters!" she exclaimed.

"I can't wait! Did you know about this?" I queried, tears of joy beginning to blur my vision.

"When I said 'oh my god' earlier, it's because I discovered the ring. That's when I found out." Elsa let out a scream, shocking me because my friend rarely got that excited. "We're going to be sisters!"

Anna was the next to hug me, followed by Ember, then Noah who had to practically pry his girlfriend's death grip on me so he could hug me. My parents were soon to follow, then the Laroche alphas. I hugged everyone in the room and more than once. But I always stayed next to Hunter.

We all celebrated with a bunch of champagne. Even those not old enough to drink were allowed to. Quite a few of the Guardians found the harder alcohol and got quite drunk. Dmitri and Gracie were making out in a corner behind a plant. Thea and Diana were running around taking pictures with and of everyone. For the first time in a long time, my pack was truly happy. No one was thinking of the Hunters, no one was thinking of the dark future ahead, they were simply enjoying themselves and the present. It was a beautiful sight to behold. But the most beautiful thing I saw was my new fiancé, smiling and laughing with his pack.

* * *

**SACarter, hope you enjoyed this. You better review :)**


	43. Chapter 43

**So this would've been posted sooner had my laptop not updated and DELETED all that I'd written. Here it is now.**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Without your nakedness to distract me, I'm remembering that we're in serious trouble. Hurry, please."  
****~Shay Doran, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 43

**Dom**

At eleven, Anna and I left the celebration. We had a mission to complete. I waited outside her room while she changed into a more club-like dress. I didn't know what that meant until she came out in a dress so short I'm pretty sure her parents would've died if they saw her in it. I was dying but for a completely different reason…

"What?" Anna asked when she saw me standing next to her door.

"Nothing," I lied.

She smirked at me. "This isn't the least you've seen me in."

"Oh believe me, I remember."

"Let's get going. I plan on getting back early enough that I can catch an episode of NCIS. Tiana ready with the portal?"

"I don't know. Let's find out." The two of us went to the briefing room where, sure enough, Tiana was waiting for us. She quickly wove a portal for us to step through. Anna and I approached the entry to the club. Showing our IDs, the bouncer allowed us entry. We chose not to split up since we weren't looking for the Hunters this time; instead they were looking for us.

Anna and I made our way up to the second floor so we could scan the bottom for our suspected bartender. Upon not seeing him and glancing around at the other dancers, I suggested to Anna, "If we're going to keep looking for him, we should blend in."

"How exactly do we do that?" she queried, not looking at me.

"We're in a club. We dance," I laughed, taking her by the waist and pulling her up against me. She was hesitant but went along with it, becoming more comfortable the longer it went on. About five minutes into dancing, she whispered, "I found him. He's DJing tonight."

I looked over at the DJ table and sure enough, our bartender was there.

"Looks like he can do multiple jobs. Hope he put that on his resume," I remarked.

"Oh come on. Let's get this over with. I don't like being here without the pack."

"Since when are you nervous on an investigation?" I asked as we went down the stairs.

"Since we're not on the Hunters side anymore and they would love to have my head, my pack's, and yours. I'd rather avoid that."

"You have a-"

She whirled around and said, "Shut up and kiss me."

"What?"

"Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable."

"Nice quote Romanoff but it doesn't answer my-"

"Hunters," she hissed before pulling my lips to hers. I reacted instantly, the way I used to whenever we kissed when we were dating. My hands grasped her waist, pulling her as close to my body as possible. Her arms wrapped around my head which I knew was to make sure the Hunters wouldn't see my face but I couldn't help but hope that she was enjoying this as much as I was.

I didn't even know I'd been making her walk backwards until she hit a wall with me pressing her against it. I heard her say my name but I was too caught up in the act to make anything of it until she said it again, more forcefully and with a firm hand placed on my chest, pushing me away. I took a good step away from her when she did this, wanting to give her space. I also needed distance from her so I wouldn't try to kiss her again because God knows I wanted to.

"Hunters are gone," she said, running a hand through her tousled hair, most likely my doing. Anna seemed flustered, making me feel bad. She'd only meant that to make the Hunters avoid looking at us. Unfortunately, I enjoyed the acting too much, maybe because I wasn't having to act at all.

"I'm sorry. That won't happen again," I said. "Let's go."

Anna started to say something but stopped herself. She must've thought better of it. Still, she took my hand so we wouldn't get separated. We arrived a few feet away from the DJ stand. Anna suggested she go up there since the guy would be more willing to talk to a girl than a guy that looked like grumpy cat. I agreed with the first part, became slightly amused and slightly insulted at being called grumpy cat. A few moments later, Anna returned.

"Said he wouldn't go," she said.

"Why not?"

"Said he couldn't leave his post."

"How about you go get the interrogation room, I'll get the guy."

Anna nodded, disappearing off into the crowd. I didn't like leaving her alone but I knew she could handle herself. I walked up to the DJ podium. Before I could say anything, the DJ shouted, "Look, I turned your girlfriend's offer down! I'm not about to cheat on my wife nor on a girl with a boyfriend like you!"

"We're not dating," I said.

"That kiss over there said otherwise."

"Distraction. There's people looking for us and public displays of affection make people uncomfortable. We're here because we need to speak to you. You have two options: the easy way which is you come with me, no problem, or the hard way which I drag you kicking and screaming to the room we have ready. Which do you choose?"

"I can't leave my post. It'll have to wait. The only way I'll go is if you're feds and I don't know much about feds but I know they don't start recruiting people as young as you."

"Hard way it is then." I grabbed him by the throat and pulled him close to me. "What's your name?"

"Ty-Tyson," he choked out.

"Listen up, Tyson, you're going to call someone to fill your post, and then you're going to come with me and let my friend talk to you."

Tyson nodded. I let go of him. He rang up another worker who filled in for him although the worker seemed suspicious. Tyson and I walked to the room Anna had reserved for us. I found her sitting on the desk reading a magazine. I shoved Tyson in the room, shut the door, and leaned on the door to prevent him from escaping. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"So," Anna said, not looking up, "You're Tyson. I have a few questions for you. First is: what were you doing yesterday night between ten and twelve at night?"

"Bartending, miss," Tyson replied.

"And at some point in the night, did you serve a tall guy with black hair and blue eyes? He had a cute little blonde girl with him."

"I serve a lot of guys like him a night with girls like her next to them. I'd need a picture."

"Here. This is the guy," Anna said, handing Tyson a photo of Hunter. "Now, did you or did you not serve him?"

"I did."

"And when did you slip the drug in his drink?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She sighed. "I knew you were going to say that. I'll give you another chance: when did you drug that boy's drink?"

"You're out of your mind lady."

Anna looked over at me, nodding her head towards Tyson. I got the drift. In a flash, I had him pinned face-down to the desk, his right arm pulled up behind him in a position I could easily dislocate it. Anna placed her face a few inches from his.

"I really hate having to get physical with my interviewees. My partner here is the muscle and I really don't want him to have to break your arm because I know you're lying. See, this guy that I'm asking you about, he remembers who served him. He remembers it being you."

"Okay, okay, I served the guy. What's so important about this guy anyway? He kill someone or something?"

"He almost did."

"The guy seemed pretty chill so if he tried to kill someone, they probably deserved it."

If I didn't know Anna so well, I wouldn't have noticed her change in attitude, but I saw the slight flare of her nostrils, an instant sign that she was now utterly pissed off.

In a deceptively sweet voice, she said, "Let him go."

I hesitated in doing so but one look from her made me listen to her. Tyson shook his shoulders out after I'd released him.

"Come here, Tyson," Anna said, motioning for him to come over to her. He must've picked up on my tenseness because he seemed reluctant to stand in front of her but did so anyway. In the blink of an eye, Anna kicked him in the knee, making him stoop down in pain. Her fist met his face. Tyson went down, rolling on his back in pain. Anna sat on top of him, snarling all too wolf-like. I even swore I saw her wolf-form slithering around her, aching to come out.

"Are you saying my sister deserved to be murdered by her brother?! Is that what you're saying?!" Anna growled. "Listen to me, if you want to live another day, you will tell me why you drugged Hunter's drink in the next five seconds!"

"Okay, okay!" Tyson exclaimed. "I did it. I was forced to! They were going to kill my family if I didn't!"

"Who?!" Anna demanded. When he said nothing, she barked into his face, "WHO?!"

"I don't know their names! They were two redheads, a boy and a girl, probably siblings. They told me I needed to drug that guy's drink because if I didn't they'd kill my family. Please, my wife and kid are the only people I have in this world. Please don't kill me… please don't kill me…"

Anna remained sitting on the guy for so long I thought she might actually be contemplating on killing him and said, "Hey, get off of him. He told us what we want."

Surprisingly, she listened. Anna stood up, helping Tyson stand as well. He sat on the desk, regaining his composure. I glanced over at her.

"Help him clean up. I'll make a call back to our… superior." Anna went over to the corner, pulling out her cellphone and dialing Babatunde. I sat next to the guy who seemed, rightly so, wary around me.

"Who exactly do you guys work for?" Tyson coughed out.

"Secret organization. Against the people that made you drug Hunter's drink. If they ever find out we were here, tell them the truth. We can handle them. I'm sorry about her. I've never seen her do that."

"Guess I'm the unlucky first one. Why do I get the feeling that's not the worst she could do?"

"Because it's not."

Tyson nodded. "If she can handle herself, why bring you along?"

"Protection. Help. I don't know. We've just always done it together."

"You have your hands full with her don't you?"

"You could say that. Her sister is the same way just in a different way if that makes sense. You better now?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll try and get you some compensation for all this. You're a decent guy who was trying to protect his family."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Good luck." Anna hung up on the cell right as Tyson and I finished talking. The two of us left the club after that, making our way back to the Academy. I escorted Anna back to her room. Stopping outside it, I said, "What happened back there? At the club?"

"I lost control. He insulted my family and not just my family, but my twin. The one person I remembered throughout my entire ordeal with the Hunters. It got personal and I let it get the better of me. That won't happen again."

"I've just never seen that happen before. I want to make sure you're all right."

"I'm fine. Thank you for telling me to get off of him though. I was almost about to kill him."

"I figured. And hey, I'm sorry about what happened when you-"

"It's okay. I… should've found another way to make the Hunters avoid seeing us. I mean I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it but I shouldn't have put that on you."

"I'm not complaining, but you know how I-"

"I thought that would've changed by now."

"Well it hasn't, okay? I'm still madly in love with you and I can't help it. I know I'm only a friend to you now and if that's the only way you'll stay in my life, then so be it. I don't mind. But I am still in love with you right now. Goodnight, Anna." I turned and walked away, cheeks flaming from embarrassment.

**One week later…**

I avoided Anna as best I could, difficult when I hung out with Spencer and Riley who happened to be best friends with the twin of the girl I was in love with because the twins were together almost constantly. Meal times were the easiest because I could just read on my iPad and no one bothered me. Being by myself proved more challenging because the Laroche pack and the Stark pack seemed to have taken a liking to me and I'd rather stay on their good side. I'd seen what happened when you were on their bad side (thank you Spencer but sorry you had to endure that). I managed to go to my room without any of the Laroche or Stark pack seeing me after dinner, or so I thought. Someone knocked at my door and I groaned, having fully intended to just go to bed early. But I wouldn't be rude. I opened the door to find Elsa standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Why are you avoiding-"

"Elsa, I really don't want to talk about it."

She narrowed her eyes at me, but more so out of curiosity than. "Why not? Because it's me or because if you do want to talk about it, you'd want to talk about it with Anna?"

"Actually I'd rather talk about it to you, but it's kind of personal, and it's probably not a good thing to say I nearly lost control around your sister because you might kill me."

"How'd you lose control?"

"You're not going to leave until I tell you, are you?"

"No."

I sighed. "She saw some Hunters who hadn't seen us yet and to make sure they didn't see us, she kissed me because public displays of affection make people uncomfortable. I kind of… shoved her against the wall and was trying to go farther than she wanted. She had to shove me away to get me to stop. I did. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it though. Not to mention I'm embarrassed I let myself do that to her. She just started trusting me again. I don't want to break that," I muttered sitting on the bed.

Elsa moved forward, sitting next to me. "You didn't break her trust in you. She told me all about what happened that night."

"And you haven't killed me?"

"I'm not going to kill you when she enjoyed you kissing her."

"What?!"

Elsa bit her lip. "She's still in love with you. Really in love with you."

"How do you- should you be telling me this? And why hasn't she told me this when she knows I'm still in love with her?" I asked indignantly.

"You haven't exactly been talking to her this past week, have you?"

"Didn't think she wanted me to. What else did she tell you?"

"She told me that she believed you when you said you didn't cheat on her but because of everything else going on in her life at the time, between finding out about her family and trying to make an escape route and finding the ring in your room, she panicked."

"She found the ring?!"

"Yes… you were going to propose?"

"I'd thought about it. I would always carry it with me wherever I went in case I found the time to ask her but I always double-guessed myself about whether she'd say yes. I'd convince myself she was going to say yes and I'd get to pop the question and then I'd get frightened and stop myself. I mean we she was only eighteen and I know Hunters and Searchers and Guardians alike marry young, but I didn't think she was ready."

"She wasn't. Although she would've said yes. She knows you're not a Guardian which could complicate things but I think she'd be willing to try it again if you are."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Where is she-" My question was interrupted by someone knocking. "It's probably Spencer or Riley."

I got up to answer the door. I'd been right about it being Spencer, but for some reason he'd brought Anna along with him.

"Hey you two, Elsa's in here if that's who you're looking for."

Anna blinked in confusion before saying, "But I'm Elsa."

I cocked my head. "No… I've been talking to Elsa the past few minutes."

"Sorry Dom, but you got twin-tricked. This is definitely Elsa. I know my girlfriend's scent," Spencer remarked.

"Can you two come back later? _Elsa_ and I need to have another chat," I said. The real Elsa and Spencer nodded and left. I shut the door, turned around, and strode back to Anna.

"Why did you lie to me?" I asked.

"Because it's been driving me nuts not having you talk to me and I thought the only way I'd figure out what was going on with you is if you thought I was Elsa because I tried to get the others to find out what was wrong and you wouldn't tell them so I went to my last resort," she replied hastily. "Are you mad?"

"Only if what you said earlier isn't true."

"All of it is true."

"So you really do want to try us again?"

Anna nodded. "I do."

I walked up to her. "Then, Anna Laroche, would you like to be my girlfriend?"

"I would," she answered immediately, giving me a huge smile. "And for the record, you weren't the only one about to lose control in the club."

"You lost control with Tyson. It's fine. I'm not mad about that."

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant that I almost lost control when you were kissing me." Anna grabbed me by the shirt and began walking back towards the bed. "You know, since you can't get that kiss out of your head, maybe you need to relive it? What do you say we pick up where we left off? Hmm?"

My mind was already going hazy at what she was doing. I heard myself mumble a yes before I crashed my lips to hers.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**We're just a bunch of wild animals."**

* * *

Chapter 44

**Spencer**

"I'd ask what you were doing last night, but considering Dom's scent is all over you, I think it answers my question," Elsa remarked.

I'd never seen Anna blush so furiously. "Oh god. And that's after I showered. _Twice_."

"I think you're going to need a third. Possibly a fourth."

"Dom probably smells too," I said.

"Excuse you, I smell just fine," Dom said indignantly as he walked up to us.

"Excuse you, you smell like Anna."

"Excuse me, I need to go shower. Again." Dom turned around only to bump directly into Loren Hess. I'd never really talked to him much but he seemed like a nice guy if he liked you.

"Your shower will have to wait. Pack meeting in the dining hall," Loren announced. He glanced up and down at Dom suspiciously. "Why do smell like Anna?"

"Oh, uh, she and I were wrestling earlier," Dom replied. The twins and I bit back grins. _Nice cover_, I thought.

"I see. Well get going. I need to go get Riley. Any idea where he is?"

"Probably raiding the kitchen," Elsa responded.

"I should've figured. I'll see you soon." Loren left and we got up.

"I wonder what the meeting's about?" Anna mused.

"Maybe we've finally decided to go after the Hunters," Elsa said.

"They know most of the Hunters' locations, they just are trying to figure out what the main building is because take that out and you take out their central communications network. They'll become disarrayed and because it's such a large network of people, it'll take a while to get reorganized," Dom explained.

"Well then I'm hoping they figured out the main building," Elsa said. "I want to go home and be in my own bed."

The four of us entered the dining hall where most of our pack was already waiting, including Caleb in wolf form, Lily, and Callie. The latter glared at Elsa when we came in but said nothing.

"Is everyone here?" Babatunde queried, looking around.

"We are now. Had a hell of time finding these two," Loren answered, jerking his thumb towards Riley and Thea. They hastily made their way to empty spots at the table.

"Now that everyone's here, I think it's time to talk." Babatunde rubbed his head. "It's been brought to my attention that there is… uneasiness about a certain member of your pack being here in the Academy. At first it was only a couple people talking about it, but now I'm getting complaints left and right and can no longer hold them at bay."

"Which one of our pack members is causing trouble?" Ren asked.

"They're not doing anything. It's just the fact that they're here that's causing unrest."

"That didn't answer my husband's question," Arya pointed out.

Baba sighed. "It's Anna. They're worried about Anna."

"Why the hell are they worried about Anna?" Elsa demanded immediately.

"Because she was tortured and brainwashed by the Hunters and worked for them," he told her. It seemed he'd had that answer ready. I guess he knew if anyone in the group argued, it would be Elsa, putting up a fight for her sister.

"Do they think she's still working for them or something?" Dom inquired furiously.

"There has been… question about that."

"I'd like to see the evidence they have for this ridiculous accusation," Elsa said, her temper flaring dangerously high. I could hear her heart pounding in her chest. By the looks everyone else was giving her, I was sure they did too.

"Well she was working for them for seven years," Callie piped up. I groaned inwardly. I didn't want her getting involved. The Laroche pack would eat her alive.

"You shut up," my girlfriend snapped.

"Don't talk to her like that," Lily ordered.

Elsa stared down my alpha. "I might be dating your second but you are not my alpha and I will challenge anyone who dares accuse my sister of working for the Hunters."

"I'm just saying she worked for the Hunters and considering what they've done to your family recently, I'm surprised you're not more worried about this," Callie said.

"Funny. I remember you working for the Hunters as well."

"A year is a lot different than seven."

"But you still worked for the Hunters just like her. I see you being more of a traitor than her."

"That's because you don't like me."

"You're not wrong, but what proof do you have that my sister is a traitor to us and is still working for the Hunters?"

"How about the fact that it was your brother that was drugged and Anna is the one that was chosen to go interrogate the guy that did it?"

"Because I used to be an interrogator for the Hunters. I'm good at getting information out of people without getting physical and if physical encouragement's needed, that's what Dom is for. But just because it was my brother that was drugged is circumstantial. It still could've been you that did it," Anna growled.

"Oh yes, because I can do so much in a locked room."

"It's called Guardian hearing. It's not exactly like we were quiet about going out to the club that night and the guy didn't slip a drug in Hunter's drink immediately so the people who forced him to drug Hunter had to have had a late inform."

"What would I get out of working for the Hunters and having them drug your brother?"

"Well you do hate my sister and since you can't hurt her, you go to the people who can. Her family. And what better way than her alpha brother?"

"You seem to know a lot about this."

"No, I just know you. Plus you forget that I know more about Hunters than you do. I know their tactics. I know why they do what they do. It's not hard to figure out. I already told Babatunde my theories as has Dom. But until you have physical evidence against me, which by the way you're not going to find any because I'm not doing anything wrong, then come find me. Until then, shut up and leave me and my family alone."

"Are you not going to control your omega and her twin?" Callie asked Hunter.

"No, because I find your claims just as ludicrous as they do," the future Laroche alpha replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "In fact, I think your alphas need to be making you hold their tongue."

"As long as she's not attacking anybody physically, she's allowed to speak her mind. But the outcome of this I believe is not going to be up to us," Lily said, glancing over at Babatunde. "You didn't just call us here for a meeting to alert us to what's being said about Anna."

"No I did not. Because of the volume of complaints, I am being forced to do something." I felt Elsa bristle at his words. She, along with everyone else in the room, was expecting bad news. "To allay the fears of the other Searchers, I've been given no choice but to put Anna in a cell."

Outrage. Complete and utter outrage. Everyone on the Laroche side was shouting except for Anna and Elsa. The former turned to her sister in support, but the latter was in too much shock to do or say anything. Hunter was demanding to meet with the Searchers who were accusing Anna of treason. Ember wanted to join him. Josilyn's had tears falling down her face while her brother hugged her. Riley wanted to deck the Searchers, Thea wanted to deck Callie. The others were shouting and saying things I couldn't understand. At one point, Caleb shifted but only for a second. He did without realizing it. That's when I knew how irate _he_ was about the whole situation.

"Enough!" Ren barked. The room instantly died down, everyone staring at the head Laroche alpha. His eyes met everyone else's before he spoke again, daring them to say something. Anna did.

"Look, if it helps allay the fears of the other Searchers, then I'll do it," she announced.

Ren turned to Babatunde and said, "If you want to lock Anna up, then you're going to have to lock Callie up too. She worked for the Hunters just like my daughter, she was brainwashed and tortured just like my daughter. If you don't comply, we will leave the Academy."

"Where would we go Ren? Last time we were home, you got shot, among other things," Shiloh pointed out.

"Arya and I have a plan. We always do. We've had this one ready since we came to the Academy as we know that not everyone supports Babatunde supporting us. But this is your call Babatunde. Either you lock both Callie and Anna up or we take our leave."

The Academy leader turned to my alphas. Before he could even ask, Lily said, "If it will make the Laroche's stay, then we will agree."

"What?!" Callie exclaimed.

"We need the Laroches to stick around and I'm sure you'll only be in the cell for a short amount of time. Callie, we need you to do this," Lilly said gently.

"But I'm not a threat!"

"That's exactly what someone who was a threat would say," Riley commented.

"Hey, don't talk to her like that," I snapped.

"Uh, you do?"

"She's _my_ pack, not yours."

"But you're dating someone from our pack which means we're unofficially packs."

"No, it means I'm dating someone from another pack."

"But Elsa and Anna can?"

"Callie was talking and arguing with them directly. They had a right to respond. Yours was uncalled for."

"He's right Riley. Drop the subject," Hunter ordered.

"Very well. I will get two cells ready for Anna and Callie. I promise you they will be in good hands and they will be well taken care of. You can go see them whenever you like," Babatunde said. He motioned for guards to come escort Anna and Callie down to the cells. Elsa watched in shock as her sister was led away in handcuffs. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and promised, "It'll be okay."

"How do you know that?" Elsa countered, not looking up at me.

"I don't know how…I just do."

"Exactly. You don't know. Don't make promises you can't keep." She shrugged off my arm and walked out of the room. I wanted to go after her but figured she didn't want to talk. At least not to me.

* * *

**Elsa**

Spencer hadn't deserved my outburst. He'd only been trying to comfort me and I knew that, but I was too upset about the situation, not to mention angry. Angry at Babatunde for locking my sister up and even angrier at Callie for accusing my sister in the first place of being a traitor. For some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that Callie had started the rumor and spread it around the place somehow.

"Elsa!" Caleb called out. I turned around. My brother came running up to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "We're going to get her out of there. Mom and dad are already talking to Babatunde about it. He believes Anna's innocent and is going to convince the other Searchers she is as well. I'm going to talk to him as well, see what I can do to help. Don't worry, okay?"

"It just feels that I'm losing her again right after I got her back."

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not going to lose her again. She's right downstairs. You can go see her anytime you want."

"I don't want to see my sister locked up like some criminal when she's innocent!"

Caleb pulled me into a hug. "We're going to get her out of there. I promise."

I nodded into his chest. "You need to change. Hunter and dad are watching us."

"I don't care if they see us. Taking care of you is more important than them seeing me."

"I love you," I told him with a smile.

"I love you too." Caleb kissed me on the head and walked off, shifting into a wolf. Hunter and dad walked up to me.

"Who was that?" Dad asked.

"Stark. He was making sure I was okay," I answered.

"Are you?" Hunter queried.

"I'll be fine once we get Anna out of that cell."

"And we're going to do that," Dad promised. "Your mom and I are working on that right now. For now, go see Anna. I'm sure she's going to need your support in this. Despite how well she handled it, I'm sure she's freaking out."

"I don't want to see her locked up… she's not a criminal," I said.

"You can go in the cell with her. Baba showed me a picture of the cell she's in and it's more just a room with a barred door than anything else. She doesn't have a phone or computer either. Hunter, take Elsa down there. I'll see you later, okay sweetie?" Dad gave me a hug and went back to the dining hall while the rest of my pack filed out. Hunter walked with me to down to the dungeon and to the cell Anna was in. Dad had been right. It really was just a room with a barred door and security guards on either side. They allowed me entry into Anna's room. She was watching a show on TV.

"Elsa!" She exclaimed when she saw me. Anna jumped out of bed and hugged me. "Are you okay?"

"Am _I_ okay? You're the one locked up in a cell," I said.

"Baba had his reasons. Besides, I'll be out of here in no time. I trust mom and dad. Don't worry about me okay? I'm fine."

"I lost you once Anna. I don't want that to happen again."

"It's not. I'm here to stay this time. Now, what do you say we watch some TV?"

* * *

**Later that night…**

It was eleven when I decided to head back to my own room. Anna was dead tired and I respected that she needed sleep. Saying good night to my sister, I left her cell and went to my room. I showered and put on my pajamas. The moment I laid down in bed, I sat back up. Guilt washed over me by how I'd treated Spencer earlier when he'd just been trying to console me. I got back up, going to his room. Upon knocking on his door, I heard a muffled "Come in!"

I poked my head into his room. Spencer was sprawled out on his bed. He lifted his head up when he saw me. He smiled sleepily at me. "Hey you. You okay?"

"Yeah, I wanted to come apologize for earlier. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I know you were trying to help. If it'd been anyone else that it'd happened to, I wouldn't have done that but because it's Anna, I… no, I shouldn't have done that, especially to you."

"Elsa come here." Spencer sat up, holding his arm out for me. I sat on his bed and he pulled me towards him. "Anna is your twin and you've already lost her once. You don't want to lose her again and if anyone jeopardizes that, you're going to be upset. She matters so much to you and anyone or anything that matters to you, matters to me. I won't let anything happen to her. I promise."

"I've wanted to fight in this war for so long because I thought I could finally get vengeance and justice for my sister but after everything that has happened, I'm realizing that these people have taken so much from my family and I don't want them taking anymore. I don't want to lose any more family or friends."

"We're warriors. Fighting is what we're best at. None of us will come out of this unscathed, and I know you never like being lied to so I'm not going to sugarcoat this: none of us will really be the same after. But no matter what, in the end, we'll still have our family to help us get through whatever it is we're going through. We're Guardians, we take care of our pack."

"The war did bring me some things. It brought me a brother, it brought me a sister-in-law, and it brought me you," I said, looking up at him.

He smiled down at me. "See? Silver-lining to everything. But what do you mean by sister-in-law? Lily and Caleb aren't married."

"Oh surely you know?"

"Know what?"

I propped myself up on my elbow. "You seriously don't know?"

"Know what?!"

"Caleb's going to ask Lily to marry him."

"What?! When?!" Spencer demanded, jolting up into sitting position.

"I don't know but he hasn't proposed yet. I only found out because I found the ring."

Spencer frowned at me. "You have a scary habit of finding rings. You know, if I'm the guy you end up marrying, I'm going to have to buy your ring the day I'm going to propose so you don't end up finding it."

I laughed. "Considering you're the first guy I've ever been with and I'm nineteen years old, my dating future doesn't look all that promising."

"I'm honored to be your first. I have a feeling you wouldn't just date the first guy to give you a compliment."

"You're right. And there's more to relationships to me than just sex. I mean, don't get me wrong, that stuff is extremely fun from the stuff Ember has told me that I did _not_ want to hear, but a relationship is more than just physical."

"I think the problem is, with some relationships, the couple doesn't know how to talk."

"I couldn't dream of being in a relationship where my partner didn't know how to talk to me." I lay back down. "However, I certainly feel better now thanks to you, not to mention tired. I know I woke you up from slumber when I knocked. I'll let you get some sleep."

"Stay with me tonight. You've had a rough day."

"Every time we stay in the same bed together, I end up kicking you relentlessly in my sleep," I remarked.

Spencer laughed. "I can handle it. I usually sleep through it if I fall asleep before you."

I lay down, resting my head on his chest. "I love you."

He kissed me on my head. "I love you too."

I closed my eyes, not knowing the hell that was about to arise a few hours later.

* * *

**Review please :)**


	45. Chapter 45

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**I can't watch him die."  
****~Calla Tor, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 45

**Spencer**

I woke up to a crash. Immediately I checked on Elsa but she was sleeping with her back faced to me. I closed my eyes again, intending to go back to sleep until there was another crash. What were the Searchers doing? I sat up, rubbing my eyes. Elsa partially rolled over and murmured, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, heard some crashes outside. I'm going to check it-" I never finished my sentence. My door was thrown open. A Searcher came stumbling in, clutching his chest.

"H-Hunters," the guy wheezed out. "Run!"

With that, he collapsed to the floor. Elsa jumped out of bed, kneeling next to him. She placed two fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse.

"He's dead," she breathed. "He's dead."

I threw on a shirt while saying, "We need to find our packs."

The two of us dashed outside. Although there wasn't anything going on in the hallway, I could smell smoke coming from somewhere else.

"What's going on?" Dom's groggy voice asked. "What's that smell?"

"Get dressed, we're under attack. A Searcher just came into our room and told us. He's dead. We need to find our packs," Elsa said. Dom hurried into his room, throwing on a shirt. He came back out five seconds later.

"Here," Dom said, handing me and Elsa a gun.

"How many guns do you keep in your room?" I asked.

"Enough that I could hold my own against multiple attackers if I had to. Call it paranoia after I left the Hunters. Come on, get behind me."

"Why?" Elsa queried.

"Because they're after you. If I go around the corner first, I'll be the first to get shot and that'll give you warning to get the hell out of there."

"You let yourself get hurt, I'll shoot you myself," Elsa growled.

Dom actually grinned. "Okay, Anna, calm down."

"I need to get to her. They'll kill her if she's trapped down there. Callie too."

"We'll make that our first pit stop. Let's go."

The three of us crept along the hallway. Dom led us forward, I guarded the back. Elsa kept watch on both ends. Suddenly Dom's gun fired. I whirled around. Two Hunters lay dead on the ground.

"Nice shot," I complimented.

"Dom, this gun is useless to me. I'm better off as a wolf. Here, double-arm yourself," Elsa said, handing him her weapon. She shifted into a wolf. I did the same. I was better off as a wolf than with a gun. As we made our way farther down the hall, someone let out a yelp. Without warning, Elsa bolted down the hallway. Dom shouted after Elsa as we chased her down. A Hunter leapt out in front of her but Elsa met him with jaws wide open, clamping down on his neck. The kill didn't faze her as she continued running down the hall. Now the smoke was getting thicker. Being lower to the ground, I was relatively fine, but it was making Dom cough.

Suddenly we were in the midst of a raging battle. Wolves were snarling and snapping at Hunters with knives and guns. Searchers were wielding a variety of weapons that ranged from guns to bows and arrows to Chinese Ring Daggers. One guy was even using a whip. The fire was coming from the Pyralis wing.

I lost Elsa in the fray of things but I didn't dwell on that. She could handle herself. I threw myself into the fight, going for the closest Hunter to me.

* * *

**Caleb**

I'd been nicked in the shoulder by a non-wolfsbane bullet (thank god), been kicked in the ribs, hit in the head, and nearly had my tail chopped off. But I still kept going. I wasn't letting these Hunters take anymore family away from me. I was done with them.

I was fighting next to my dad who was taking on three Hunters by himself. I'd forgotten how ferocious my dad was in battle. It made me remember that he'd survived one war already. He was a veteran. He knew how to survive.

I finished handling my Hunter and went to help my dad. One of the three Hunters saw me coming, swinging his machete at me. I ducked out of the way and bit onto his arm. He proceeded to elbow me in the hard back. I let out a yelp. Suddenly dad was latched onto the Hunter's thigh. I got up and bit onto his calf. Together, my dad and I jerked the man down to the ground. I let my dad have the kill.

_Thank you_. I said. My dad nodded at me but said nothing. He went off to fight more Hunters. He had a bit of a limp. I wondered what happened to him. I looked around for my next target. All of the Laroche pack and my pack were here with the exception of Anna and Callie. They were still in their cells. But then I noticed something else: my mom was nowhere to be seen. I started to panic. Where had she gone? I put my nose to the ground to track her scent. Despite having been gone for almost ten years and despite the fact there were over thirty wolves in total, I knew my mom's scent: peony and blush suede perfume. She liked her floral perfume, fitting, I always thought, since she loved flowers.

It took me a few moments before I was able to pick it up. I followed it down the hallway, trying to take down as many Hunters in the process that I could. Once I was out of the main part of the fighting, my mom's scent became much stronger, but there was another scent mixed with hers. Multiple actually. One was blood. Problem was, I didn't know if it was my mom's or the other persons but I was hoping to god it was the latter.

Her scent led to one of the smaller, private conference rooms. The door was cracked when I got there. I pushed the door open with my nose. The moment I stepped in, I saw a man twice the size of my dad lift my mom up and slam her down into a glass table. I charged him but I didn't get to him in time before he stabbed my mom in the stomach with a shard of glass multiple times. The man backed up only to have his neck meet my teeth. I yanked him down to the ground, my vision going red with fury.

I don't really remember what happened after that but when the haze finally lifted, the man was in a mangled heap on the ground, his head almost completely dismembered from his body.

I shifted into human form, kneeling next to my mom and trying to block as many wounds as I could with one hand. I cupped my mom's face with my other hand. I heard myself shouting at the top of my lungs for somebody to help me. Then when I realized no one would hear me over the battle, I howled long and loud. A groan made me look down at mom. Her eyes were going in and out of focus until they rested on me.

"W-who… are y-you?" she croaked out.

I bit my lip to try and stop the knot forming in my throat. "It's me, mom. It's Caleb. Listen, you're losing a lot of blood, you need to drink some if you're going to live."

"C-Caleb? You… you're h-here?" My mom's hand found my cheek. Tears began streaming down her face. "Oh m-my… beautiful boy! Y-you were… Stark the en-en…" she coughed, a trickle of blood coming out.

"Mom, drink, okay? Please. I'm not losing you. Not today," I said, making a cut in my arm and putting it to her mouth. "I'm so sorry mom. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was scared. I wanted to come home the moment I left but I'd screwed up so badly… I thought I couldn't. I've called the house multiple times, each time with the plan to tell whoever picked up the phone that it was me and tell them where I was but I always chickened out, mom. I'd just tell you I had the wrong number and hang up." I swallowed the knot forming in my throat again. "I kept tabs on you though. All of you. I sent you and Elsa and Ember flowers on your birthdays and holidays. I was at Elsa's graduation with Spencer and Callie. I was at that hotel conference in Denver. I was at Elsa and Spencer's dance competition."

"C-Caleb, en-enough blood," Mom choked out.

"No, you need more. Help is on the way. Stay with me mom."

"I-I'm so pr… proud of you. And… I l-love you s-so much."

"I love you mom. And I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry mom."

"Honey… do-don't cr-cry."

"Arya?" I looked up. Loren Hess stood mortified in the doorway before bolting towards us. "What ha-"

"Go get help!" I ordered.

"You're not my alpha!"

"I'm the only alpha here able to make decisions right now! Help! Go! NOW!" I shouted. Loren hesitated for a second, staring at me, before dashing out of the room.

"H-he didn't… rec-"

"I don't care if he recognized me or not. All I care about is making sure you live through this. Drink more blood mom. Please."

She had no strength to oppose. I put my arm back up to her mouth. An agonizing thirty seconds later, help arrived. Searchers brought a stretcher and bandages to block as much blood as they could from escaping mom's wounds. Very carefully, they lifted her onto the stretcher and carried her out of the room. Loren had come with them. He stared at me, but not suspiciously, more out of curiosity.

"What?" I demanded.

"Nothing. You just remind me of someone. You okay kid?"

"Fine. We should get back to the battle."

"Battle's over."

"The Hunters?"

"Escaped."

"What do you mean _escaped_?"

"They weren't targeting us as a pack. They were after two people in particular."

"Who?"

My question was answered when I heard Elsa's distinct voice shouting frantically. When I realized who she was shouting for, my blood ran cold. My sister came sliding into the room. Blood trickled down her face but other than that, she seemed unharmed, just extremely alarmed.

"Elsa, what's wrong?" I asked.

My sister blinked at me, her worry temporarily disappearing. Her eyes flitted between me and Loren. The latter glanced down at her, as if shocked by her sudden change in attitude.

"Elsa, what's wrong?" I repeated.

Elsa bit her lip, her face reddening. Her voice cracked as she said, "Anna's missing. So is Callie."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed- review please :)**


	46. Chapter 46

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Just as a fever makes cold feel colder, love can make loneliness feel lonelier."  
**_**Invisibility**_**, Andrea Cremer**

* * *

Chapter 46

Elsa sat in a chair with her head braced against her hands, in utter shock not just over the kidnapping of Anna, but the news of what had happened to mom. Spencer and Dom sat next to her, the former with his hand placed gently on her back in an attempt to comfort her. Dad was nowhere to be seen. Loren had announced that he was at mom's side. Speaking of mom…

Mom was on life support and in a coma from blood loss and shock. She'd already gone into cardiac arrest and while no one said anything, none of us expected her to make it through the night.

The room we were in was completely silent. No one spoke a single word. Eyes flitted around, whether because they were doing so unknowingly or whether they were checking on other pack mates, I'm not sure. I was in wolf form. After seeing my mom, telling her who I was, and now knowing I was going to lose her, I felt that I should at least tell a few people in the pack who I was, the ones I knew wouldn't mind if I came back. That mostly consisted of Thea, Riley, and the possibility of Noah. Noah had always been pretty neutral between me and Hunter, never choosing sides in the battle for alpha position, but I hesitated with him for the fact he'd been Hunter's beta ever since I left. He'd most certainly choose sides now.

Babatunde entered the room, clearing his throat. "Thank you for meeting me here. After this battle, we are moving the Academy to a new location. From there we will determine how this breach of security happened and how to prevent it again. We will also be throwing all available resources into finding the main base for the Hunters in order to launch an assault that will shatter their ranks, power, and organization."

"What about rescuing my sister?" Elsa asked. She looked up at Baba with blood-stained eyes. "My sister is in the hands of the enemy. We are not just going to sit around and wait for them to kill her are we?"

"No. We'll figure something out in the upcoming days on how to-"

"You will do it tonight. There's no waiting when it comes to rescuing my sister."

"Elsa's right. Anna doesn't have days. They'll torture her for information about the Searchers and then they'll kill her once they have what they need. Anna can last a long time but not if the torture is continuous. At most, we have a three days to rescue her, four at most," Dom spoke up.

"You're not going to rescue her by yourselves. There's a price on your heads the Hunters would love to collect," Babatunde protested.

"They're not doing a great job on the 'collecting' part now are they?" my sister countered.

"Elsa, your dad said to trust Babatunde on the matter. He's already spoken about-"

"You're really going to trust the word of a man who's distraught with grief over his dying wife?"

"Elsa!" Hunter exclaimed. "Be quiet! Now! An alpha to an omega, that's an order and you better listen to."

Elsa stood up, face red with anger. "I'm not arguing this an omega. I'm arguing this as Anna's sister, as her twin. She's you sister too, Hunter. I know she's been gone most of our lives but surely you haven't forgotten that."

"I told you to stop!" Hunter barked. She let out a small snarl at him. "The omega doesn't get a say in any of this."

"Then what the hell is the point of me being here? What the hell is the point of this meeting?"

"To figure out what we're going to do about the Hunters. If you don't want to be a part of this meeting, then go!"

Elsa walked off. I don't think Hunter had actually expected her to do so but he didn't quite understand her reasoning. He hadn't been the one who had held his little sister in his arms when she had nightmares of seeing her sister die when she hadn't been there in the first place, and might I mention it was an exact version of how Anna had 'died'. Hunter didn't understand that Elsa and Anna weren't just attached because they were sisters, they were mentally attached whether they fully comprehended how much or not. I'd figured that out when I heard Elsa had felt her sister's 'death' before she was even told, so I figured her fear of her sister's life wasn't just because Elsa didn't want to lose her twin again, but because she knew without knowing that Anna was in deep trouble.

"When you decide to rescue Anna before she dies, let me know," Dom said.

"Why am I getting the feeling she's going to go after her sister by herself?" Shiloh mused once Dom had left the room.

"Because she's thinking about it," Hunter said. "I should go talk to her."

I growled when Hunter moved. Lily spoke up for me. "I think my alpha is saying he'll go speak to her as he's not the one she's mad at."

"You showed your face to me, Stark. Why won't you show it to them?" Loren inquired curiously.

"You saw Stark in human form?" Hunter queried.

"He was trying to help Arya when I found her. Elsa came to him when she'd discovered Anna was missing."

I simply bared my teeth at Loren, trying to convey to him that it wasn't important at the moment. I trotted off towards my sister. I followed her scent down to Anna's dungeon where she and Dom were in a heated discussion, but not in an angry sort of way, an excited way.

"How are we going to get there? I don't think there's any Weavers who would make a portal for us to go through," Elsa remarked.

"Tiana's out of the question. What about your aunt Adne?" Dom asked.

"No, she wouldn't do anything my dad was against."

"What if Caleb asked her?"

"That would mean getting my brother involved and I don't want to do that. He's walking on thin ice with my pack anyway."

"I don't care," I said, stepping out from the shadows. "If you two know where Anna is, I'll get Spencer and Lily and I'll find a Weaver and we'll go there."

"Wha- are you serious?" Elsa stared at me with hopeful blue eyes.

I knelt in front of her. "I made you a promise little sister. I told you I'd never let anything happen to you or Anna again. I'm not letting those Hunters kill her nor am I letting Babatunde tell me what to do when the life of a pack member is at stake." Turning to Dom, I asked, "You know where they're holding her?"

"She left a note. I don't know how she knew where they were taking her but I trust her that she's not leading us into a trap. It was in code. Something only I could figure out. She knew I'd find it."

"Good. Get some rest. We'll go get Anna once I've gotten everything squared away. That'll be a few hours at most."

"That's better than days. A lot better. I'll go to my room, get my weapons ready. Elsa, you want to come and practice at the shooting range?" Dom inquired.

"I'll meet you there. I need to talk to Caleb," She replied. He smiled understandingly at her and left. Once he was out of the room, my sister said, "I'm so sorry for what I said earlier, about dad and mom and I know you were the last to see her and that you the one that found her and for me to say something like that-"

"Elsa!" I interrupted her rambling. She stopped, trying to catch her breath. "I'm not upset over what you said. You're right. Dad isn't thinking clearly right now. Mom most likely won't make it through the night. If she does it'll be a miracle. And while I want that miracle to happen just like we all do, we need to be realistic about the situation. We, personally, can't do anything more to help mom. But we can help Anna. We're _going_ to help her. I'm not breaking my promise to you Ice Princess."

"Are you sure you don't want to come back and challenge Hunter for alpha position?"

I chuckled. "I'm sure. But you're still always welcome to join my pack. We could live in Estes. We've already decided to build a hotel there."

"But you'd have to be in hiding from our family the entire time. That's no way to live."

"So I wouldn't hide. Loren didn't recognize me. The only ones I'm worried about recognizing me are the ones I was really close to."

"Caleb. That was practically everyone. If Loren didn't recognize you, I doubt the others will."

"You think they've wondered if I'm actually Caleb?"

"Maybe Hunter has but as for the rest of the pack, I think they think my loyalty to you is because of Spencer."

"Hunter would kill me if he knew I was back. Maybe he's forgiven me for all I've done but that doesn't mean he wants me back."

"There's only one way to find out."

"After the war, okay? We need him focused on killing Hunters, not me."

Elsa laughed. "Fine. But after the war, seriously, consider talking to the pack."

"I will. You get up to your room. I'm going to go make preparations for our rescue mission." Elsa gave me a hug. Just as she was about to go up the stairs, she stopped and said, "We'll get Callie too if she's there."

I smiled. "I know. Now go get some rest."

She dashed up the stairs. I didn't expect her to actually sleep. She wouldn't sleep until Anna was back in the Academy, safe and sound. I got up and went back to the meeting room. No one was in there. I went my room where I found Lily and Spencer chatting.

"Hey, how's Elsa?" Spencer asked immediately.

"Good, now that she's going after his sister," I replied.

"She's doing what?" Lily demanded.

"She and Dom are going after Anna."

"They can't go alone! They need a pack with them."

"That's why I'm going."

"I'm going. Definitely. When do we leave?" Spencer queried.

"Once I find a Weaver willing to get us there. Dom already knows where Anna is."

"I'm going as well," Lily declared.

"Good. But let's not tell anyone else about this. They don't know we're going and if they do, they'll try and stop us."

"I can't exactly blame them for wanting to."

"Me neither. This is going to be dangerous. Extremely dangerous."

"Since when is anything we do not dangerous?" Spencer said drolly.

"Point taken. All right, get some rest if you need some. We'll be leaving in a few hours."

* * *

**Spencer**

We all met in Caleb's room. Dom and Elsa came together. Both smelled like gunpowder. Dom told me he'd been teaching her how to shoot, and like her twin, was a natural at it. She grinned up at him. Caleb had managed to get a guy named Han to be our Weaver. The guy was shrimpy looking but he had this glint in his eyes that told me he packed a lot more punch than what it seemed.

"Here," Dom said, handing a photo to Han. "This is the entrance to the building. Should help make Weaving more accurate."

Han took it, studying it carefully.

"Where is that and why is there snow?" I asked.

"That's Norway where the snow never really melts," Dom replied. "We were there a couple of times."

"There's no trees to hide behind," Elsa remarked.

"No, but there's plenty of stones and rocks and snow drifts. You can change into white wolves can't you?"

"Yes," Lily answered. "The Laroches aren't the only ones with that power."

"Right…" Dom said sheepishly. "Okay, the building has two stories above ground, about five beneath. Naturally, Anna will be on the very bottom floor because they're not going to make it easy for us to get to her. There's guards at each entrance. Lily, Caleb, how comfortable are you with causing a distraction?"

"There's no one better. Why?" Caleb said.

"We're going to need to lure a majority of the Hunters out so that there's less inside that Spencer, Elsa, and I need to take out. I can get us past most of them without being seen but in some cases, it'll most likely be unavoidable."

"I can join Lily and Caleb. I have a few tricks up my sleeve," Han said mischievously.

"Good. We'll need all the tricks we can get. It's not as heavily fortified as other places because of its top secret nature but these are elite guards so be on guard. I'll have Elsa howl once we're out with Anna, and Callie if she's there too, and we'll rendezvous here." Dom pointed at a massive boulder. "That means that Han, you'll have to separate from Caleb and Lily at some point to weave a portal for us to get through back to here."

"Roger that," Han said. He pulled out his tool and wove a portal. We hopped through one by one. I shifted into a wolf mid-air. We landed quietly on the snow, crouching down behind rocks.

"Lily, Caleb, Han, you're up," Dom whispered. The three of them darted off. It was hard to keep up with where they were going so I gave up, waiting impatiently for our chance to go inside. Elsa was shifting from foot to foot, also biting at the bit to get going.

The cue came soon enough though in the form of a multiple explosions on the other side of the building.

"Come on!" Dom whispered. He dashed off, hunched over to avoid being seen my guards rushing out of the building. Elsa and I were on his heels. We arrived at a side door which Dom hot-wired open. He ushered us inside. "There's an elevator two rooms down but it's safest if we take the stairs. That way we can't get stuck."

Dom pulled out a gun, creeping along the wall. I heard footsteps but none that seemed to be coming our way. I kept watch on the rear, Elsa the sides, Dom the front. If anyone attacked us, we'd be prepared. It didn't take long for someone to find us but Dom knocked him out before he could attack us. Dom dragged the body over to a closet, motioning for us to come in. We did as he asked. He started taking off the guy's uniform. Elsa and I shifted.

"Why are stripping the guy down?" I asked.

"I have an idea. You two wait here. I need to go find two more of these outfits. Be on guard. Just because this is a utility closet doesn't mean no one will come in here in the middle of a battle. I'll knock four times before coming in. I'll be back." Dom put the uniform on over his clothes and disappeared. Elsa and I tied up the half-naked guy in some wires we found. If he woke up, one of us would knock him unconscious again. Elsa and I then hid in a corner so if anyone did come in, we'd have the element of surprise.

"So what exactly do you think Dom's doing?" I inquired.

"Either he's getting two more uniforms, one for me and one for you, or he's backstabbing us and leading the Hunters straight to us."

"That's a comforting thought. If it is the latter, are we just going to wait to be killed or are we going to do something about it?"

"There's stuff in here that would make good Molotov cocktails."

"How do you know how to make Molotov cocktails?"

Elsa shrugged. "You wouldn't know it but Barry's a bit of a pyromaniac. I don't know where he learned to make one but he taught me and I thought it might come in handy one day against the Hunters."

"What do we need?" Elsa ordered me to grab certain things off shelves. There was only enough material to make two, one for each of us. We found two lighters as well, holding onto them tightly. Hopefully they worked. If they didn't, we were screwed.

The two of us waited with bated breath. I kept glancing at my watch. It felt like we waited an hour for Dom to show up but it was really only about seven minutes. He'd brought back two uniforms, one for me and one for Elsa, just like she'd predicted. He'd even gotten us some massive guns that I had no idea what kind they were. Once we were all dressed, we headed to the stairs. Thank god the uniforms came with helmets that covered up half our face. That way almost no one would recognize us. Troops marched past but ignored us. My heart sped up every time they did though.

The trip down five flights of stairs was not fun when your life was literally on the line and your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your chest and you could be recognized at any moment. Somehow, by some miracle, we managed to get down without anything bad happening.

"Okay, Anna should be at the end of this corridor. I'll go get her. Elsa, Spencer, you two check the rest of these cells, make sure there's no other Guardians."

"Anna's not here down here," Elsa said. "Her scent isn't down here."

"They might've masked it," Dom suggested.

"No, she's not down here in the cells. I caught her scent on the floor above though."

"You're positive?"

"I know my sister's scent. I know she's not here. If it makes you feel better, check the cells, but I'm going to check upstairs."

"No, I trust you. Let's go." The three of us headed to the flight above us. It was a network of hallways and rooms. Elsa lifted up her gun, stalking forward. Dom and I followed in suit. She led us to a room in the middle of the hallway, opening the door quietly. Stepping inside, her gun was immediately knocked out of her hands but a black wolf. Elsa yanked off her helmet.

"Anna!" Elsa hissed. "It's me!"

The black wolf shifted instantly. Anna Laroche enveloped her sister in a hug before demanding, "What are you doing here?! All of you?!"

"We're here to rescue you," Dom said.

"Aren't you a little tall for a trooper?" Anna said with a smirk.

He smiled. "All right princess, let's get you out of here."

"You know you three could've gotten yourselves killed!" Anna chastised.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Elsa asked.

"No. When they kidnapped me, I convinced them I'd been collecting information on the Searchers so I could go back to the Hunters and give it to them. They believed me after some convincing. You're lucky you got here sooner than later though. I was about to blow this place."

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"I mean I've been rigging this place with enough C4 to bring it down and anyone in it. The activation button is on this remote." She showed it to us. "It would be a massive blow to the Hunters. They have a bunch of top secret projects here. The reason they brought me here was because they didn't think anyone would find me here. I'm assuming you got my message Dom?"

"I did, but if I hadn't followed Elsa down to your cell, I never would've found it. We need to get going. Caleb, Lily, and Han won't be able to create a distraction much longer."

"Then you really did arrive just in time. I was just about to leave."

"Is Callie here?" Elsa asked.

At the name of my pack mate, Anna's expression turned murderous. "That traitor? No. She's at another building. I don't know where. She left practically right after we got here. She's the reason the Hunters knew where the Academy was. She's the reason they knew where Hunter was going to be the night his drink got spiked." Turning to me, her voice softened as she added, "I'm sorry Spencer. I don't like Callie, but I know she was your pack mate. I'm sorry she's… doing what she is."

"I knew something was wrong the moment she came back. I just didn't expect this…" I admitted.

"We'll let Babatunde know what's happening we get back," Elsa said, rubbing my shoulder.

"Let's go," I said. Anna was the first one out the door. None of us had heard the Hunters coming down the hallway. The only thing we heard was their gunfire. Bullets hit Anna. She stumbled back into the room, collapsing in Dom's arms. Elsa slammed the door shut, pushing a desk in front of the door. We knelt down next to Anna who was trembling with pain.

"How many bullets hit her?" I questioned.

"Five I think. None hit her in any major arteries or anywhere dangerous but she'll die if we don't get these wounds stitched up. No amount of Guardian blood can stop this.

"I have an idea. Dom, can you carry her?" Elsa asked, seeming strangely calm in the midst of all this.

"Yeah, why?"

"These vents must connect the rooms to each other right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"The Hunters are expecting us to be in this room. But what if we crawl through the vents into the other rooms and escape that way?"

"That could work."

"Spencer and I each have a Molotov cocktail on us. We can throw those to give us some time to get to the stairs. From there on we'll just have to make a run for it."

"I saw some trucks on the first floor. We can get in one of those, slash the tires of the other vehicles, and escape that way, pick up Caleb, Lily, and Han on the way," I said.

"Awesome, let's go." Elsa went over to one of the vents and yanked it off like it was nothing. She backed herself into it. Dom gently lay Anna in front of the vent. The Laroche twin tried to stay as silent as she could despite the pain she was in but a few whimpers still escaped. Dom gently pushed Anna into the vent while Elsa pulled, wiggling her way backwards. I got in last. Elsa kicked the other vent open with her foot. We crawled out into the next room. The four of us repeated the process another four times before we decided it was safe enough to enact the plan. Dom lifted Anna in his arms.

"Guys, we're in the armoury," Elsa remarked. "Spencer, grab as many weapons as you can strap on. We're going to go out guns blazing."

We started grabbing random weapons off the walls. I went for the guns. Elsa grabbed some strange weapon that looked like a cross between a gun and those things that shot baseballs at you. Everything in here was loaded so thankfully we didn't need to grab ammo. Once Elsa and I had armed ourselves to the point we could take on half the Hunter army by ourselves, she took out her Molotov cocktail. Warning us to get ready, Elsa ignited the cocktail, opened the door, and threw it down the hallway. The explosion rocked the building. Dom ran out of the room, already turning the corner at the end of the hallway by the time the Hunters got their wits about them. Elsa and I dove behind the wall, getting ready to shoot at them. My girlfriend pulled out the weird looking from earlier, aimed, and fired. The power of the weapon knocked her back but she regained her composure almost instantly as another, even bigger explosion shook the building. Now it dawned on me what it was.

"When did you learn how to work a grenade launcher?" I asked.

"Just now," she replied.

"I love you," I laughed as we got up and bolted down the hallway. The Hunters straggled behind us, only shooting at us right when we got to the stairwell. Dom was halfway up the stairs. Elsa and I made it to the third floor when we heard the Hunters enter the stairwell below us. I grabbed my Molotov cocktail, ignited it, and threw it down at them.

"Nice one!" Dom yelled over the ruckus. The four of us made it to the top floor, making a beeline for the cars. Dom put Anna in the back of one while Elsa and I shot the tires out of the other nine. Then we hopped in. Dom floored the Hummer out into the open field. Elsa sat in the backseat with Anna, giving her blood; I sat in the front with Dom, helping him find Lily, Caleb, and Han.

"Over there!" I pointed at two wolves running for their lives with Han on some sort of ATV. I decided not to question where he got that from. They were a good distance away from the Hunters but my alphas were tiring, slowing down. Dom pulled alongside them.

"Get in!" I shouted. Lily, Caleb, and Han didn't need to be told twice. They leapt into the back, narrowly avoiding landing on Anna. Han rolled back into the third seat. Lily and Caleb were hunched over Anna, demanding to know what happened to her. Elsa explained while Dom put the pedal to the metal, getting us as far away from the Hunters as possible to give Han enough time to weave a portal, for us to jump through it, and then close the portal. Dom only deemed that safe enough when he couldn't see the Hunters in the rear view mirror anymore.

Han jumped out of the trunk, weaving a portal while Caleb, Lily, and I backed out of the way so Dom and Elsa could get Anna out of the back seat. Dom carried her.

"Portal's ready! Hurry! Hunters are almost on top of us." Dom went through first, followed by Lily. Elsa was supposed to go next.

"Elsa! Hurry!" Caleb barked.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, jumping up on top of the Hummer. She pulled out the remote Anna had been holding earlier and pressed the button. I thought the Molotov cocktail and grenade launcher had caused big explosions. Those were miniscule compared to the sight the C4 caused. I could see and hear the explosion from almost three miles away.

"What the-" Caleb began.

"Anna rigged the place to blow up. We got to her just in time. She asked me to do it. Come on!" Elsa jumped through the portal. Caleb and I followed. Han was last. The moment he was through, he whirled around and slashed the portal, closing it.

"What the hell is going on here?" a familiar voice demanded. We turned around to see Loren Hess and Shiloh McKay. We'd landed in the meeting room.

Where the entire Laroche pack was standing, staring at us.

"Anna needs medical attention," Dom informed. "She's been shot at least five times, maybe more. Possibly by wolfsbane bullets. The reprimanding can wait. Right now,_ she _needs to be taken care of."

"Dom, take Anna to the infirmary," Babatunde ordered. "Starks, Elsa, Han, you stay here."

No one argued. No one said a word.

"Elsa Felicity Laroche, how dare you risk the lives of others and the safety of this pack?" Shiloh demanded angrily.

"The people who went with me volunteered," she argued calmly. "It was originally going to be me and Dom alone but Stark wanted to help us and his pack joined in. Yes, our lives were endangered but we put ourselves in that situation. I didn't ask any of them to do that."

"Caleb better kill all three of you for letting our sister go on that mission," Hunter growled, glaring at me, Caleb, and Lily.

"Who's to say Caleb didn't know?"

Hunter turned to her. "Caleb knew?"

"He did," Lily piped up. "He told us to help her. He helped himself."

"You saw Caleb?"

"Yes."

"Why would he approve of you going on such a dangerous mission?"

"He told me he had a promise to keep."

"What promise would that be?"

"Making sure nothing happened to me or Anna again."

"That's a stupid promise. He can't keep an eye on both of you all the time!" Caleb snarled viciously at his brother, as if to say, 'I'll rip your throat out if you say that again'.

"Is no one going to talk about the big ass explosion in the background?" Noah remarked.

"Anna and Callie were taken by the Hunters because Callie was their spy in here, not Anna. Anna convinced the Hunters that she was a spy just so she wouldn't be imprisoned. When we found her, she had rigged the entire building with C4 that could be detonated with the push of the button. When we were trying to escape, Hunters shot at us. Anna took the brunt of it. Elsa took the detonator from her sister and before we left, set off the explosion. According to Anna, it was a top secret, highly valuable base. The fact that it's destroyed means that it's a blow to the Hunters, their resources, and their defenses," I explained. "If anything, we just did more right now than we have the entire year we've been hunting them."

"So you just risked your lives to save someone who wasn't in danger at all?" Noah pointed out. "Smart. Seems you all overreacted."

"No they didn't," Ember said. "We assumed she was in danger as well. If I had known Elsa was going to rescue Anna, I would've joined. Like Elsa, I don't want to lose my sister again."

"But she wasn't in any danger!" Noah argued.

"You don't know what you're talking about! It doesn't matter that she wasn't in danger! We all thought she was!"

"Enough!" Hunter barked. "It's beside the point whether Anna was truly in danger or not. The point of the matter is that you-" he pointed at Elsa. '-went on an unapproved mission that could've gotten yourself killed when you're already walking on thin ice from the last stunt you pulled sneaking out to see the Starks. You remember what dad said if you put another toe out of line?"

"Of course I do," Elsa responded stiffly.

"Then why the hell would you risk that?! Why would you risk everything you have to go and save Anna!"

"Because you don't leave family for dead! We already let her die once Hunter and damn it, I can't go through that again. I barely got through it the last time! You know that! So don't criticize me for being selfish right now." Elsa's voice was trembling with anger, sadness, and a bunch of other emotions I couldn't place.

"You're not the only one who lost a sister Elsa so stop acting like it! We all lost Anna that day but I'd rather have one of you alive than having neither of you!"

"I know that! But what you don't know is I felt Anna die that day. I felt her leaving our pack and I wasn't even there. I'm tethered to her in a way no one can understand. The only one who came close to understanding that was Caleb which is why he made that promise to me. You've always said the pack comes first. Anna _is_ our pack. We had a duty to rescue her."

"When we talk about duty to the pack, we talk about the pack as a whole, not as individuals. You don't get special treatment because you're a sister or a brother or a second."

"No, only if you're an alpha," Elsa fired back. I wondered briefly if she was referring to when she, Josilyn, and Sebastian had been kidnapped a few weeks ago. We'd rescued them a few hours later at Hunter's insistence that we get them out of there. He'd pushed for the rescue the same way Elsa had; he'd gotten his way because he was alpha. Elsa was being criticized because she was the omega. It didn't seem right.

"We hadn't had a full attack on us that day," Hunter snapped. "We just went through hell, mom's practically dead in the infirmary, half of us are beaten up, and you have the audacity to compare that day to this? No, it's nothing like that."

"I'm unscathed from this past battle! So is Dom and Spencer and Lily and Caleb. We could've done it if you'd trusted us."

"I don't trust you! Any of you!"

"And I don't trust a pack who's willing to leave a pack member for dead, regardless of the circumstances or consequences. So you know what, Hunter? Tell dad what happened. Let him go through with his threat. Because you and I both knew this day would happen sooner or later."

"Hunter, what is she talking about?" Josilyn whispered worriedly.

"What threat is she talking about?" Shiloh asked, just as confused as his daughter. Hunter said nothing. He strode over to Elsa.

"With me. Now," he ordered. Elsa met his fierce gaze with one of her own but she went off with him.

Riley whistled. "I thought they were about to attack each other."

"Who do you think would've won?" Dmitri asked.

"Elsa. She was way too fired up."

"Hunter's an alpha though. He's much stronger than her and he's already nearly killed her."

"But she wasn't angry then."

"Are we really having this discussion?" Gracie interrupted. "Shame on you two."

Riley and Dmitri hung their heads in embarrassment.

"Is it true that Caleb's alive?" Thea inquired. Every head turned in the room to face me.

"Yeah," I said. "He's alive."

"And you know him?"

"That's why Elsa had been sneaking out to see us. We were her tie to him."

"Does she know where he is?"

I nodded.

"Do you know what the threat is she was talking about?"

I nodded again.

"Ren is going to kick her out of the pack, isn't he?" Josilyn said softly.

"Ren wouldn't kick out his own daughter. He's too protective of her," Loren said.

"You're talking about a guy who called it treason to continue looking for his run-away son," Shiloh retorted.

"That was different. Caleb was a smart kid. He could handle himself and he obviously didn't want to be found. Anna was in danger being with Hunters whether they believed she was getting information from them or not. They would've figured out her plot sooner or later and killed her."

"Are you agreeing with Elsa?" Melinda asked.

"I'm agreeing that we needed to go after Anna right away, and not wait. I don't agree with her going off with the Stark pack and that Dom kid."

"Dom's the reason we found Anna in the first place and the reason we got into the building unseen. Elsa's the reason we got out." I dove into that part of the story.

"She's reckless. She's willing to put the whole pack at risk just for her sister," Noah mumbled.

"And you're telling me you wouldn't do the same for Josilyn?" Ember snapped.

"Enough. This bickering is pointless. Go to your rooms. I must go speak with Dom. Han, meet me in my office in an hour."

We filed out of the meeting room. The arguing continued. It was the most heated between Ember and Noah. Thea was talking quietly to Riley. I caught them mentioning Caleb's name but I didn't ask them about it. I opened my bedroom door but stopped when I saw Caleb trotting off. I turned to Lily.

"He's going to see Arya."

"Ren will attack him if he's already heard about how he went with us to rescue Anna."

Lily grimaced. "I know. So does he. But I don't think he cares."

* * *

**Such a long chapter. Holy cow. Well, hope you liked it :)**


	47. Chapter 47

**I need something to keep me awake so have another chapter**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**Tess was sobbing, and each cry was like a razor slicing my skin."  
****~Calla Tor, **_**Wolfsbane**_

* * *

Chapter 47

**Elsa**

I was out of the Laroche pack officially. Hunter had stormed out of the room, not saying another word to me or dad after explaining what I'd done. I passed Josilyn in the hall. She stopped me immediately.

"What's wrong with Hunter? He just stormed past me. Are you okay?" Josilyn asked.

"He's upset over dad's verdict I guess. I'm not sure. I'm fine. I'm just going to my room. I need to figure a few things out," I replied tiredly. The adrenaline I'd been running on the past few hours was rapidly disappearing.

"Elsa, please tell me… please tell me you're still in the pack. I need my sister," she pleaded. "I need my beta."

I smiled sadly at her. "I'll always be your sister. And I wanted to be your beta… dad never planned on making me your beta again. He planned on making it Ember since Noah is Hunter's beta."

"You never answered my questions about the pack. Does that mean…?" Josie trailed off, her face turning red. I could only nod, a knot forming in my throat. Leaving my pack hadn't really seemed like a big deal to me. I knew for a while that sooner or later, it was going to happen. I'd pushed myself away from my pack for that exact reason. It'd make leaving them easier. But then there was Josilyn, the girl who filled the void in my heart when Anna had died. The girl who had been there to always cheer me up with flowers or by dragging me through her garden or by trying to hide the fact she liked my brother for five or more years from me. She was the girl that always gave me the benefit of the doubt, always trusted that I had the best intentions. She'd protected me when Spencer had come to check on me in the garden that night, _lying_ to the entire pack about what had happened to protect me from getting into any more trouble. For her, I needed to come clean to my parents and Hunter about all that I'd been doing with the Stark pack. I owed Josilyn that much.

I pulled her into a hug. She cried into my shoulder. I felt tears escaping down my own face even though I tried to stop them. I wanted to be strong about this for her sake but all my strength was leaving me.

"Please, talk to Hunter. Talk to your dad. Surely you can convince them to let you stay. What about Anna? You can't go all the way up to Canada and leave me by myself."

I pulled away, wiping away my tears. "Their decision is final or else I would. But you won't be by yourself. You'll have Hunter and Noah and Ember and the rest of the pack to look out for you, okay? Anna is still in the pack so she'll stay with you. I know you two will become great friends, sisters even."

"Anna will go wherever you do."

"That'll be up to her. I'm going to go see her right now. Do you want to come?"

Josilyn shook her head. "No. I need to go find Hunter. I'm going to convince him to let you back in the pack. I'm not taking no for an answer."

I smiled at her. What had I ever done to deserve a friend like Josilyn? "Josie, before you go, let me apologize for being the biggest bitch these past few months. I never thanked you, genuinely thanked you, for all you've done for me these past few months. You kept Caleb's secret for me, you lied to the pack the night Spencer came to check on me to make sure I didn't get in more trouble, and you loved me even when I snapped at you. You still loved me when you saw me at my worst. You've still loved me whenever I've snapped at you and let's face it, I've been doing a lot of snapping at everyone lately. You've always had faith in me when everyone else stopped. Sometimes, something as small as that is a very, very big thing. I will never leave you Josilyn. Not really anyways. No matter where I am after this war, you can call me. For anything and everything, night or day. I'll pick up. Because that's the least I can do for my sister. I hope you forgive me."

Josilyn sobbed even harder, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. And she tells people she's not strong…

We stood there for a good two minutes before Josilyn hiccupped her way down the hallway, on a mission to convince my brother to let me back in the pack. Again, I didn't deserve a friend like Josilyn.

I went to check on Anna. Dom sat next to her bed, clutching her hand in his. She was out cold, but she was going to be okay. That much was clear. I stayed for about thirty minutes before I began to feel claustrophobic. I left my sister and her boyfriend in peace.

I walked around the Academy aimlessly for a good hour before I finally ended up on a rooftop garden. There weren't many scents up here. I recognized my mom's, Caleb's, and Babatunde's. It must not have been a well-known place. Good. I needed a place to think without having to worry about being interrupted.

I shifted into a black wolf to blend in with the foliage. I curled up next to a rock and stared at the pond in front of me.

In the past few months, I'd changed drastically. At first it was because I was trying to protect Caleb. I'd been determined to make him stay. Then when I got comfortable balancing my life between seeing my pack and seeing Caleb, I was fine. Then Anna came back and it was suddenly like I didn't even know who I was anymore. The more I thought about it, trying to figure out where the change came from, the more confused I became. I flashed back to the day Anna had died. I'd never told anyone exactly what I'd felt that day. Caleb knew I'd 'felt' Anna die. He knew I'd had a hundred percent accurate dreams of Anna dying when I hadn't been there to see it. That day, I'd felt something was wrong. But I'd never told anyone was the sensation I had when I lost Anna the first time. It felt like my heart stopped but was still there. It felt like someone had reached through my rib cage and crushed my heart in their bare hand. It felt like my heart had shattered like glass into a million shards and those shards got into my veins, piercing and stabbing me as if they ached to get out of my heartbroken body.

That pain had been so raw, so natural, that when it had happened to me, I thought I was dying. In a sense I was. The day Anna died, a part of me died too. But that wasn't all that happened. The pain caused me to pass out, a terrifying occurrence for a little girl not even ten years old. Loren knew something was wrong the moment I collapsed. From what Ember had told me, Loren hadn't been able to hear my heartbeat for a full minute. For a full minute, my pack thought I was dead. But I woke up, and Loren told me what happened to my sister. I'd already known something terrible, dreadful, unbelievable had happened, but I'd never expected that.

For a year after that, that pain in my heart never left. I'd asked my mom if the pain ever left. She'd told me that after she'd lost her pack the first time, the pain in her heart left after a few months, but the painful memories never did. It was the same answer for the second time she lost her pack. I'd asked dad too. He'd given me a similar answer to moms. So for a year, not only was I devastated by the loss of my twin sister, but I thought something was wrong with me because the pain in my heart never stopped hurting. It was usually a dull ache but once in a while it'd flare up, becoming so painful that I'd fall to the ground. It never happened in front of my pack, and I'd never told them. Even at that age I knew there was nothing they could do to help me.

Then suddenly the ache disappeared. For two years it never reared its ugly pain until Caleb ran off, but even then it didn't last long, and it didn't compare to the first time it'd happened. Not by a longshot.

The only time I'd ever felt that pain again was barely six hours ago when I'd discovered Anna had been kidnapped. When I saw her empty cell, I'd collapsed to the ground, pain ripping through my heart and head.

All these memories and feelings washed over me as I lay on the ground. It'd dawned on me early on that Anna and I were connected in more than just a twin way. But now, reviewing all those memories, I never realized how much. I hadn't acted out near as badly as I did until Anna came back into the picture. I started putting the pieces together that I unconsciously fed off of her emotions, whether she was right beside me or hundreds of miles away. We'd lost that when she'd been kidnapped, but it'd reconnected itself the moment we came back into each other's lives, stronger than ever. That's why it suddenly made sense that the pain had been so acute whenever something happened to Anna because not only was I feeling my pain, but I was feeling _hers_. When I was terrified, so was she, which doubled mine without me realizing. I could only wonder if it was the same for her. But deep down I knew it was.

Regardless of my reasoning, I needed to apologize to people. I'd start with mom. She probably couldn't hear me, but I needed to get it off my chest. If she woke up, I'd tell her again. I'd go to Ember next. She'd be most receptive of me. Always had been. Then I'd talk to Hunter, once he'd calmed down a bit. Finally I'd talk to dad. He'd be the most difficult to talk to, to get through to. But I had to do it.

I slowly got up from my resting spot to go to the infirmary. I chose to stop on the way to check on Anna again. She was awake this time. Her eyes instantly went to me the moment I stepped foot in the room.

"Something's wrong. What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up, much to the protests of both me and Dom.

"Nothing. It's just been a long day and I've just been thinking about things."

"Elsa, I felt something was wrong. You were in pain."

I stroked her hair back. "I'm fine. I was thinking of past memories and it dredged up feelings that I'd rather not go through again. You were probably feeling that."

Dom suddenly stood up. "Mr. Laroche."

I froze in my place which did not go unnoticed by Anna. I shared a look with her and I didn't need to say anything for her to know what had happened. Her heart monitor jumped.

"Anna, what's wrong?" Dad asked, walking up to her.

"Dad, please tell me you didn't," she begged. "Please tell me you didn't kick her out of the pack."

Dad said nothing, which only confirmed my twin's question.

"I'm going to… uh, go brush my teeth," Dom remarked. Kissing Anna on the head, he hurried out of the room.

"How's mom?" I whispered, barely able to find my voice. I couldn't even look at him. I vaguely wondered where I'd gotten the strength to argue with my dad all those times before. He wasn't my alpha anymore. So why was I so much more afraid to talk to him _now_?

"Alive. Barely…" he mumbled.

"Can I- can I go see her?" I asked.

"Of course you can. She's your mother," dad replied instantly.

_But she's not my pack_. I thought.

"Dad, it's not Elsa's fault," Anna spoke up.

"What isn't?"

"Her attitude recently. I figured it out the moment I came back into your life Elsa, but I never knew how to bring it up with you. I didn't know how to. Please forgive me for that."

"I was thinking the same thing when I came in here a few moments ago," I admitted. "You don't need to apologize."

"Dad, Elsa and I feed off of each other. She's been-"

"Lashing out because I wasn't just feeling my feelings," I said.

"She was acting on mine as well. We're connected in a way that we've only just now discovered."

"Now that I know about it, I might be able to control myself more. I'm not saying that to try and convince you to let me back in the pack. I just wanted you to know why I was acting out like I did."

"Would you let her back into the pack knowing that though?" Anna prodded. Dad didn't say anything.

"Dad, I'm sorry for everything I've done this past year. Between lying to you and sneaking off and questioning your authority, it was uncalled for and unbelievably wrong. All I ask for is your forgiveness."

"And to be back in the pack," Anna added.

"No, just forgiveness," I corrected. "His decision was final."

"Oh _now_ you listen to him," my sister grumbled. "Elsa, go. I want to talk to dad. Alone."

"Okay. I'll come see you later. I'm going to go see mom." Kissing my sister on the head, I left the room, going next door to mom's room. I'd never seen someone hooked up to so many machines. I didn't know what half of them did. I was afraid to even touch her, let alone hold her hand.

Swallowing a knot in my throat, I sat down next to her.

"Hi mom. I don't know if you can hear me. Maybe you can. I heard somewhere that the auditory functions were the last sensory organ to shut down, or something like that… I wanted to apologize for being such a terrible daughter recently. I've disobeyed you, I've shouted at you, I've lied to you, I've questioned you, I've questioned your authority… I'm so sorry mom. You deserve the world. You're an amazing mother and you've always been there for me no matter what. I-I don't know what I'd do without you mom." My voice cracked. "The pack needs you. Dad needs you. Caleb needs you. I need you… so please come back to us, okay? Please come back."

I broke down into tears, burying my face into my hands to muffle the sound because even though she couldn't hear me, I felt that any noise in the silent room would only disturb her. I cried and cried and cried. Every time I tried to stop, another dam broke and tears flooded down my face.

Someone pulled me into their arms. I couldn't see who but I buried my face into their chest anyway.

"Shhh… everything's going to be okay sweetie," Dad promised.

"I'm so sorry," I sobbed. "This is all my fault… it's all my fault…"

"No it's not. It's okay. You're okay," he told me. "I love you Elsa."

"I love you too." Dad pulled me to him even tighter, cradling my head against his chest. I couldn't control the tears. They soaked through dad's shirt, but he didn't seem to care. He simply sat there, letting my cry in his arms like I used to when I was little girl. I'd missed having this relationship with my dad. I'd always been a daddy's girl when I was little. That'd changed as I'd grown up. I knew this moment wouldn't last forever. At some point, he and I would be arguing again. But I didn't care what the future was to bring right now. Right now, I let myself be that innocent little girl again as I cried myself to sleep in dad's arms.

* * *

**This ended up being a much sadder chapter than I anticipated and I'm sorry. That's what happens when I write things at four in the morning. Reviews would be lovely :)**


	48. Chapter 48

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**But I'd be tempted to see if I could convince you to stop acting like the proper lady your mother wants you to be."  
****~Ren Laroche, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 48

**Ren**

Elsa had fallen asleep on my shoulder in Arya's infirmary room. Halfway through the night my daughter groggily shifted into a wolf and curled up on the couch in a tiny ball. I smiled down at her, reminiscing about when she used to do that as a child. Elsa never remembered shifting into a wolf so it was always kind of amusing watching her wake up because she'd always be so confused about what was going on.

I was still upset she'd gone after Anna but I now understood to the full extent why she had. Kicking her out of the pack had been one of the hardest things I'd ever done, but it was necessary. Besides, although the consequences were bad for her and she now had a lot to figure out, I was pretty sure Elsa was relieved. Her loyalties between us and the Stark pack had been taxing on her. Maybe now that she had official neutral grounds, it wouldn't be so difficult for her. Besides, she understood now why I did it. For the first time in the past two years, our relationship was good.

I was going to wait until the end of the war to invite her back into the pack, and Elsa knew this. So did Anna. That had been the plan if Elsa ever was kicked out of the pack after the first threat of it. I never actually thought it'd happened but I'd underestimated my daughter's tenacity. I shouldn't have, considering she was _my_ daughter. She was too much like me. She looked like my wife, she acted like my wife, but in the end, she was still somehow just like me. It was a difficult concept to explain.

I was in my own thoughts, trying to figure out when this war was going to end, when I heard a shout from the hallway. Curious as to who might be disturbing the peace, I got up to check outside. I also didn't want them waking up my daughter. I wasn't worried about Arya waking up, no matter how awful that sounds. Her heartbeat remained steady no matter what happened around her. She had no idea what was going on. I was almost glad about that. It would kill her to know what was going on in the pack right now.

When I poked my head outside, I saw Hunter beating up a human I didn't recognize but the person put up just as big of a fight. His strength equaled my son's.

I hurriedly shut the door so Elsa wouldn't wake up to the commotion before going to intervene.

"It's all your fault!" Hunter hissed at the stranger. "You're the reason she got kicked out of the pack!"

"She made her own choices!" the guy said, kicking Hunter in the gut. I caught my son by the arms, preventing him from going after the guy any further. The stranger seemed to have no intentions of attacking unless further provoked, but he continued his rant. "And our dad didn't have to kick her out of the pack!"

I froze. He'd just said 'our dad'. But I didn't know this guy… I didn't recognize him. Of course, I couldn't see his face either.

"She never would've gone to find you if your beta didn't get close to her!" Hunter shouted, struggling to get out of my arms. "What makes you so special?! Tell Caleb to either invite her in his pack or stay the hell away from her. He needs to make up his damn mind about being in her life."

"What's going- Stark!" Elsa exclaimed, rushing up to him. He was leaning against the wall, head hanging down, rubbing his cheek. I had a feeling he was keeping his head down just so people wouldn't see his face rather than from him being hurt. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Hunter, go back to you room. Now," I ordered. I let go of him. He stalked off angrily.

"He did a number on you," Elsa remarked. "Do you need blood?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Besides, not the first time it's happened," he joked.

"This isn't the first time my son's attacked you?"

"Another time was when he was trying to kill Elsa after someone spiked his drink."

"What did you mean when you called me 'our dad'?"

"What?" Stark asked, his body going rigid. Elsa snapped her head up to look at me.

"You told Hunter that 'our dad didn't have to kick her out of the pack'. Now either I've had an affair that I have no memory of or-"

"Elsa, maybe you should go check on Hunter," Stark interrupted.

"Will you be okay?" She queried.

"I'll be fine. This was going to happen sooner or later."

My daughter kissed him on the side of the head before getting up and jogging after her brother. She gave me a small smile as she went past me. It was only until she was out of ear shot that Stark said, "Well you didn't have an affair. Not that I know of."

I slowly walked up to him. Stark finally, fully, looked up at me. I studied his face, realizing just how much his face shape resembled mine, how his eyes matched Arya's. His mouth was like mine but his nose was like Arya's. He'd taken on the darker shade of Arya's hair, verging between a light brunette and a dirty blonde. There was only one person it could be but it was too unfathomable. How had I not put the pieces together?

"Are you going to say something or you just going to stare at me? I mean I know I'm devilishly handsome but it's creeping me out now," he said.

"Caleb?" I managed to ask.

"Hey dad. Long time no see." I grabbed my son, pulling him into a hug. He froze in my grip, as if unsure of what to do.

"You've been here this whole time," I said when I pulled away. "That's why you'd never change in front of us. You knew we'd recognize you. And that's why Elsa has been so loyal to you and your pack. How did I not-"

"In your defense, you've been dealing with a war and a much bigger pack than I have."

"Did mom know?"

Caleb hung his head. "Yeah. I told her right before she… right before the Searchers took her away to the infirmary. But I've been talking to her on the phone almost every day for a couple of weeks now. I was on my way to come see her when I came across Hunter."

"Then let's go see her." As if in a dream, I walked side by side with my long lost son. We were talking like nothing had ever happened, but I knew at some point it was going to be brought up. Caleb didn't seem to want to talk about it so I was going to have to initiate it. The two of us sat down in chairs. The couch was too cramped and if Caleb had kept his secret from us this long, I doubt he wanted to suddenly get cozy with us now.

"How's she doing?" he inquired.

"She's stable. She's making it through the night. The doctors don't know how but I'm not complaining. I don't care if there's a medical explanation for how she's pulling through this. I'm just going to accept the miracle she is."

"She has a pack to come back to."

Silence.

"Who else knows besides Elsa and mom?" I finally asked.

"Josilyn. The night that we sent up that howl, it'd been me and Lily. Spencer had snuck over to your house to check on Elsa because we'd been worried since we hadn't heard from her. Spencer offered her a place in our pack and Josie overheard. To get her to understand why Elsa was so dead set on protecting me, I told her who I was. Maybe Josilyn kept it a secret to prevent Elsa from getting into any more trouble or maybe she respected my request to not tell any of you. I don't know."

"Why didn't you want us to know?"

"I figured it'd cause more havoc than you needed if I came back into your lives. I guess I ended up doing that anyway."

"Did you ever plan on coming back?"

"I… I wanted to come home the moment I left, but I was scared to, not to mention I'd be embarrassed and wouldn't have been able to bear to face you all. I just… I felt there was no turning back and I really believed leaving was the best thing I could do for the pack. That way Hunter didn't have to vie for the alpha position, you and mom wouldn't have to deal with two sons who were always at each other's throats and dredging up the past, and Elsa and Ember wouldn't keep getting caught in the middle of mine and Hunter's arguments. I shouldn't have left, and I regret not having at least called you guys to let you know I was okay, especially mom and Elsa since I'd always been closest to them, but knowing what I do now, I don't know if I'd change it."

"Is it because of Lily?"

"Her and Spencer. Their adoptive parents took me in. Lily was already alpha, Spencer was beta, Callie was omega. I almost came back at the end of the summer of the year I left but I stayed because I didn't feel judged there. Mom never blamed me for what happened so I never felt judged by her, Elsa never judged me or blamed me but every time I looked at her, all I could think about was how I failed to keep her sister safe. Ember blamed me for Anna's death even though she never said anything. She cared too much about Elsa's feelings and knew if she said anything, Elsa would be so upset. Hunter was extremely vocal about his blame and judged me outright."

"Did you think I'd judge you?"

"I thought you already were. I don't know dad… I guess it seemed to me you never treated me the same after it happened. You never let me stay home by myself or go somewhere by myself or if I did it was to go grab a coffee from a drive-thru and then come straight home."

"Let me make this clear: I never blamed you for Anna's death nor did I ever judge you about anything. If I treated you differently, it was unintentional. I'll admit I was more worried about you after because I know how hard it hit you. I wanted to protect you. If you hadn't harbored the feelings of guilt and embarrassment, would you have come back home?"

"No…"

"Why?"

He hesitated. "I didn't think I'd be welcome."

My shoulders sagged. "Caleb, you will always be welcome home, no matter what."

"Then why'd you make it treason to search for me after I left?"

"Because I knew you didn't want to be found and I needed to get your mother to see that. She refused to let up and it was affecting the pack."

"I nearly caused you two to divorce…"

"No you didn't. I promise."

My son hung his head. "I'm sorry dad. I'm sorry for everything."

"Don't be. I'm sorry we weren't able to help you more. We made you feel like running away was the only option. We're the only ones at blame here."

"If I survive this war, I'll come clean with everyone in the pack, if you and mom allow me to."

"Of course we would. That's your decision. You didn't want to come back and I know you're going back to Canada after this war but could you call us at least? Just to let us know you're okay?"

"Yeah."

"Then that's all I ask. You're an alpha now, and a damn good one. I'm _proud_ of you."

Caleb finally looked up at me. His face was red, tears were welling in his eyes. He'd been trying not to cry but for some reason, my words seem to have broken him.

"She's going to pull through right? If she's hung on this long…" Caleb began.

"She is. Because she not only has a pack to come back to, but a son who needs his mother again."

Caleb sniffed, rubbing his nose. "Is everything okay between you and Elsa?"

"Yeah. We talked things out."

"You mean you let her back in the pack?"

"No, she's still without a pack, but she has the option of coming back into it after the war. If she doesn't though, would you take her in?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Good. I just want to know she has a place somewhere. She always struggled to fit in with the pack after Anna died and you left."

"I'll take care of her if she does. I don't want her going through any more than she already has."

I smiled. "I know you won't."

* * *

**Hunter**

I didn't go to my room. I went to Anna's instead. She was sitting in her hospital bed, watching TV. She smiled tiredly at me when I entered, giving me a small 'hi.'

"How are you feeling?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"Like something just happened to Elsa. My emotions shot up but I could tell they weren't mine this time. Did something happen between you two?"

"No. She and dad just stopped me from attacking Stark. The bastard is the reason Elsa got kicked out of the pack. He let her go after you. He didn't even try and stop her. Yes, I wanted to go after you too but we needed time to figure out a game plan. He just… let her waltz in there with hardly any back up. It's all his fault."

"Elsa didn't get kicked out of the pack for rescuing me," Anna said.

"Why else would she be kicked out?"

"Because dad realized how much her loyalties were divided and knew it was causing her too much internal problems. He kicked her out so she wouldn't feel guilty about being loyal to one pack over the other when she obviously cares for both. He's letting her come back into the pack after the war. If she wants to. Her going after me was just the excuse he gave to the pack so they would think he followed through with the threat so they don't question him."

I blinked in shock at my little sister. "Is that true?"

"Dad told me about it after Elsa came and visited me. I'm sure she knows by now."

I groaned. "So I just attacked Stark for no reason?"

"Pretty much."

"I should go apologize to him…"

"It'd make me very happy if you did, not to mention Elsa."

"I understand she's loyal to the pack because they know Caleb but why is she so loyal to _him_? Are you sure she's not dating Stark instead of Spencer?"

Anna snorted. "I'm positive. Elsa only has eyes for Spencer."

"… Do you think she'll want to come back to the pack? And be honest with me."

"She'll come back."

"Why do I have a feeling there's a 'but' to that sentence?"

My sister sighed. "But she's not necessarily going to want to do it completely. Her loyalties will always be torn between us and the Starks because of Spencer and Caleb. She'll stay out of duty to the pack."

"If she chose the Starks over us, what would you do?"

"I'd go with her."

"Hunter?" Elsa piped from the doorway. "Are you okay?"

I turned around. "What are you doing here?"

"Stark told me to come check on you."

"Why?"

"I guess to make sure you were okay? What were you beating him up for anyway?" Elsa queried, stepping into the room.

"I blamed him for you getting kicked out of the pack. Anna has just informed me that that's not the case. Not entirely at least. Stark okay?"

"He's fine."

"Elsa, did dad tell you about the reason he really kicked you out?"

"Because of my divided loyalties? Yes."

"Are you going to come back at the end of the war? To the pack?"

"Yes."

"Because you want to? Or you feel obligated to?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Of course it matters, Elsa. It means whether you're happy or not."

"I'd be happy in either yours or Caleb's pack. I'm ambivalent to the whole thing."

"Are you though? You've shown more loyalty to their pack these past few months than to us. It's more than them just knowing Caleb or you dating Spencer… whoa, whoa, whoa, you two aren't engaged are you?"

"No, we're not engaged. I just keep finding engagement rings. Yours to Josilyn, Starks to Lily… wait, that's a secret. You can't tell anyone I just said that! Wait, Spencer isn't going to propose to me is he?!"

Anna laughed. "No, he's not."

"Oh thank god. I'm not ready to get married yet. Hell, we're going to be split up after this war anyway and long distance never works even though we're going to try it."

"He'd have to ask for mine and dad's permission first if he does and Caleb would probably want to give his permission to as well. Has Spencer talked to you about this or something?"

"Oh he just said that if he was the guy I ended up marrying, he'd have to buy the ring the day he was going to propose so I wouldn't find the ring."

"How did you find mine when I was going to ask Josilyn?"

"I dropped an earring under your bed and found the ring when I was searching for it. Stark was keeping his taped under the top side of a drawer. I found it when I stuck my hand in the drawer trying to find something for him. My hand brushed against the box."

"Spencer's probably right. I'm going to warn your future husband, whoever that may be, to buy the ring the day he's going to propose to you," I remarked.

Elsa grinned. "I can't believe you think I'm going to get married."

"Aren't you?"

"Hunter. It's taken me nineteen years just to have my first kiss, let alone a boyfriend. It'll probably take me another nineteen years to decide on a husband," she joked.

"But mom and dad are going to want grandkids!"

"You do realize they have four other kids for that right?"

"Are you telling me that you and Spencer haven't-"

Elsa blushed furiously. "No, we haven't. We're taking things slow."

"That kiss in the garden after he told you he loved you was anything but slow. It looked like you two were about to go down right then and there," Anna quipped.

"What do you mean we- hang on, you saw that?!" Elsa demanded.

"Uh… Dom and I might've spied on you two… out of curiosity. We left after you two started kissing."

Elsa narrowed her eyes at her sister. Anna gulped. I smiled at the two of them. For that brief moment, it felt like there was no war, no divided loyalties, no past tragedies, no missing siblings, no injured parents. For that brief moment, I felt like I was talking about something other kids my age would be relatively talking about. Love lives, boyfriends and girlfriends, spying on siblings… it seemed so _normal_, and normal was in short supply in my life.

"Sorry?" Anna apologized sheepishly.

Elsa shrugged. "I probably would've done the same to you and Dom."

"Hey!"

"What's going on with you and Dom anyways? You two _are_ officially dating right?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Yes. Did his scent all over me not give that away?"

"You can have sex without being in a relationship. Just ask Noah and Ember."

"Well yes, we're dating. Why?"

"Need to give him the big brother talk."

"Dom doesn't need that talk. He already got it from Elsa."

I turned to my sister. "That true?"

"Yes. Trust me, he doesn't need it."

"I mean he already knows I approve of him, I just want to… reiterate Elsa's point I guess."

"Hunter," Anna said, raising her eyebrows at me.

"Fine…" I muttered.

The two girls laughed. Elsa sat down on the end of Anna's bed. The three of us continued talking well into the night, acting like regular siblings: talking, arguing, teasing… I remembered doing this before everything happened and I thought that maybe if Ember and Caleb were here (despite me wanting to give Caleb a good berating for getting Elsa into bad situations recently), it'd be like old times, where we all got along, when the arguing was trivial rather than serious.

I was mad at Caleb, don't get me wrong. But not for getting Anna killed. Not anymore at least. I was mad at him for what he put my family through. I was mad at him for abandoning Elsa when she was so close to him. I was mad at him for nearly causing mom and dad to divorce. I was mad at him for letting Elsa go see the Starks when he knew that the Hunters were after us. I was mad at him for letting her go rescue Anna with only six people as backup, including himself.

But I still wanted him here. He was still family. And I knew I was the reason he'd run off in the end. In the end, I knew everything had happened because I couldn't move past the death of my sister. When and if Caleb and I ever saw each other again, we'd need to have a long talk because we'd both have a list of grievances against each other that would need to be addressed before we could move on with our lives. But I wanted to. I wanted my little brother back.

* * *

**Reviews would be lovely :)**


	49. Chapter 49

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**I'm not going to kiss you today just so you can tell me to go to hell tomorrow."  
****~Shay Doran, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 49

**Hunter**

Josilyn was reading a book when I entered our room. I collapsed onto the bed, resting my head on her shoulder. Placing her book down, she asked, "What happened?"

"I attacked Stark. I lost my head again… then I realized I attacked him for a reason that didn't even exist. Elsa is out of the pack for now but only until the end of the war. Dad realized she couldn't keep being loyal and torn between two packs so to make it easier for her, he gave her an easy out. She can come back to the pack once the war is over. For now, she can decide who she wants to be loyal to and when. I need to find Stark and apologize. I also need to call Caleb and tell him about mom…"

"He knows about your mom. Of that I'm sure," she replied softly.

"Why do I get the feeling you've talked to him?"

"That night the Stark pack howled after they'd been told to get out of our territory, Spencer snuck into the garden to check on Elsa because she hadn't been answering her phone. He and his pack was worried about what had happened to her. She'd told me to stay in the house but when she was taking a long time to come back, I went out to investigate. I overheard Spencer offer her a place in the pack. I confronted her about it and it was then that Spencer told Elsa that I could know. That _he_ would understand. Then a wolf jumped into the gazebo. I didn't recognize him when he transformed. Not at first anyway. I think I wouldn't have unless he'd spoken."

"Caleb? Caleb was at our house?" I demanded, sitting up.

Josilyn cowered. "Caleb asked me not to say anything because he said it was for the best that no one knew. At least that's what I got from it. He came because he hadn't heard from Elsa and was worried about her like Spencer. Elsa asked me not to say anything because she didn't want to lose him again. I said nothing about it because I didn't want her in more trouble than she already was. I'm so sorry Hunter… please don't be mad at me… I wanted to protect my sister…"

"I'm not mad at you. I just- Caleb was at our house? Like actually in it?"

"No, he was at my gazebo because that's where Elsa had caught Spencer."

"I need to go talk to Spencer or Lily. Stark will be of no help since he doesn't shift. I mean he shifted when I hit him but that was only so he could shout back at me."

"Stark shifted in front of you?" Josie squeaked.

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"You didn't see what he looked like did you?"

"No. I was too busy beating him up to be honest. Why?"

"Oh, just curious. That's all. A mystery is always intriguing."

"Right… well I'm going to go find Spencer or Lily and convince them to give me Caleb's number. I'll be back okay?" Giving her a kiss, I exited the room. I made my way to Spencer's room. I could hear voices inside but it sounded like two male voices so one of them definitely wasn't my sister.

Spencer opened on the first knock. He cocked his head at me as if trying to figure out why I was at his door. Behind him, Stark stood with his hackles raised.

"What can I do for you?" Spencer asked.

"I was wondering if you'd be willing to give me Caleb's number. I wanted to call him, talk to him," I said slowly.

Stark growled. Spencer turned around to look at him briefly before turning back to me. "Sorry man. I can't. Caleb doesn't want his number getting out to anyone but Elsa, Anna, your mom, or dad."

"My dad knows where Caleb is?"

"Yeah, but honestly, those four are the only ones that have his number."

"What about Josilyn?"

"She talks to him when she's with Elsa."

"Listen, I just want to apologize to him. I want to reconcile with him for the sake of Elsa and our parents."

"Hunter, I can't. You know I'd do anything to help Elsa but I still have to listen to my alpha on this and I have to respect Caleb's wishes. I can't give you his number."

I hung my head. "Well it was worth a shot. Thanks Spencer."

I walked off, formulating a new plan in my head. Stark didn't like me, which I understood why. But I needed to convince him to let me to talk to Caleb. He was the one preventing Spencer from giving me his number. I'd enact my plan today. I had to. My first stop was Elsa's room though. I needed to talk to her. I poked my head inside, calling her name.

"You can come in!" she answered. I found her lounging on her bed, reading a book. "What's up?"

"I wanted to come say hi. Is that okay?" I queried, sitting at the foot of her bed.

"Of course. Is everything okay? You look like something's on your mind." Elsa sat up, crossing her legs. She stared at me intently, as if she was probing my mind for answers since I wasn't responding immediately.

"I tried to get Caleb's number from Spencer but he couldn't give it to me. Stark and Caleb wouldn't let him."

"What do you want to talk to Caleb for?" Her brows furrowed together, not in anger, but in seemingly genuine confusion.

"I want to apologize. I want to make amends for a few reasons although I didn't say that in front of Spencer or Stark. First off, I want to make amends with him for you. I ran him off and that devastated you. I want to make amends with him for your sake so you don't have two brothers who are forever at odds with each other."

Elsa smiled at me. "I appreciate that, but you don't have to apologize to him for my sake. I've been dealing with you two arguing practically my whole life. I can deal with it for a while longer."

"But you shouldn't have to." I sighed. "Second, I don't want mom and dad to have their two sons at odds. They've raised me better than how I've been behaving and I want to show that to them. They must be so disappointed in me…"

"Mom and dad are _not_ disappointed in you."

"I've been so irresponsible and immature though. I've lost my head so many times. I've been such an ass lately and I don't know why."

"Because you're protective of the pack. Half the time you were trying to knock sense into my thick skull. Most of the problems stemmed from me so your reactions are my fault. You never would've reacted the way you did if I hadn't done what I did."

"You can't take the blame for my own reaction, but I appreciate you trying to make me feel better."

"You look like you feel like shit. I'm your little sister. We're going to argue and fight, but we're also going to laugh and love, and it's my job to make sure you're okay and to make you stop feeling like shut. Now what's the next reason?"

"Last, I really want my brother back. I mean we argued before Anna died but not like how we did afterwards and that was all my fault. I miss having him around. I know he's an alpha now but maybe he could take the south compound or something. Then you could live with him and be with Spencer but still live near us so I could visit you whenever I wanted."

"I'll talk to Caleb, try and get him to warm up to the idea of talking to you. I have to warn you… Caleb is pretty reserved still, but he has dad's temper. In fact, he's a lot like you with his temper once he loses it. I think that's another reason you two butted heads. Despite how different you two are, you're still _really_ similar."

"Thank you Elsa." I stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving so you can read your book. I'll see you at dinner?"

"Of course. Love you!"

"Love you too." I gave my sister a kiss on the top of her head.

Now it was time for my plan. My plan involved me 'accidentally' running into Lily. Problem was trying to find her. I followed her scent around the Academy but this girl took mercurial paths. What on earth was she doing? Always backtracking and going a different direction.

Finally I found her in the library with Stark sitting next to her in wolf form as usual. I calmed my racing heart so neither of them would be suspicious. They both looked up at me the moment I came into their view. My courage fled in that instant. I simply nodded to them, going up to one of the bookshelves and grabbing a random book. As I walked past them, Lily said, "Why do you have _Being and Time_ by Martin Heidegger in your hand? You never struck me as the person to read something about philosophy."

The lie that came from my lips just spilled out. "Oh it's not for me. Josie once claimed she could read anything, so I'm bringing her this. I heard it was one of the most challenging books to read."

"Well you're not wrong. It took me a year to get through it."

"I don't know what I'm going to win if I'm right but hey, if it's just bragging rights, that's fine by me. Oh, before I forget, Elsa wanted to see you in the garden at four, Stark."

"Why at four?" Lily queried suspiciously.

"Because she wants to finish reading her book," I answered in amusement. "She and Josilyn are like two peas in a pod when it comes to books. Once they start, they can't stop. I'll see you two later."

I dashed off to my room where I handed Josilyn the book. I had ten minutes before Elsa's supposed meeting with Stark, and I needed to get there before he did if this plan was to work.

I made up an excuse that I can't quite remember what it was, but it worked. Besides, my fiancée was too engaged in her book to really pay attention to what I was saying. I entered the garden as a black wolf, darting behind a rock that gave me a clear view of the bench next to the fountain. I crouched down so I wouldn't be seen.

At 3:59, Stark came trotting into the garden. He jumped up on the bench, staring at the fountain. Three minutes after four, he jumped down, pacing around the fountain. At five past four, he shifted into a human, but his back was towards me so I couldn't see his face. He was tall whoever he was. His hair was either light brown or dark blonde. It seemed to depend on the lighting.

Stark pulled out his phone, texting someone. He kept looking up and around. I wondered if he knew this was somehow a trap. Barely thirty seconds later, his phone began ringing.

"Hey Elsa, where are you?" Stark asked. His voice sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place why. "I'm in the garden. Hunter told me you wanted to meet me in the garden…" Pause. "He lied to me. You were never going to meet me in the garden. This was all just a ploy so he could see who I was!" Stark whirled around, eyes scouring the garden for my hiding spot. It was only a matter of time before he spotted me but I didn't care. I was too busy trying to figure out why he looked so familiar.

I hadn't been able to hear what my sister had been saying until this very second when she practically shouted, "Caleb! Caleb, don't do anything stupid!"

_Caleb_…

I cursed myself for not realizing it sooner that Stark was Caleb. Things had been made clearer about why Elsa was so loyal to them but now everything was crystal.

Caleb had grown tall. Taller than me by a good few inches. He wasn't a gangly teenager anymore. He was still lean, but that was an illusion. Caleb was stronger than he'd ever been and I'm pretty sure he liked deceiving people about his strength. That way he could take his opponent by surprise.

I would know. I'd been on the receiving end of his attacks recently.

"You son of a bitch," Caleb growled, his eyes finally settling on me. I shifted into human form, staring at him wide-eyed. Words wouldn't come no matter how hard I tried. "You knew I didn't want to talk to you yet just like always, you shove your unwanted presence in other people's business."

"I wanted to apologize Caleb," I finally said. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for the shit I put you through when we were younger. Anna-"

"Shut up," He interrupted. "I don't care what you have to say. You should've apologized eight years ago when it was happening. That's when it mattered. Not now."

"I want to do it for Elsa and our parents. None of them deserve to have us fighting, especially now that you're in our lives again."

"I'm not in your lives again. Elsa was the only one who was supposed to know. Then Josilyn found out and the only reason I told her was because I knew she'd say something about me and Spencer being at your house that night to the pack. I wasn't going to risk Elsa's safety for that. Then mom somehow got my number which I'm pretty sure that was Elsa despite my protests. Then it was dad. And now you. I didn't mind those four knowing. They respected what I wanted. But you? You never have."

"Caleb!" Elsa hissed, skidding to a stop next to me.

"You stay out of this," Caleb ordered.

"No. You're not my alpha and neither is he. I have no pack which makes me my own alpha."

"This isn't a discussion! I want nothing to do with Hunter!"

"He's your brother!" my sister argued.

"No he's not!" Caleb roared. "Spencer treated me more like a brother than this ass ever did!"

"You were always the one saying people needed to try and talk things out before stuff got physical. I never listened, but I'm willing to try it now," I said. Caleb's fist connected with my jaw, sending me staggering back. Elsa was by my side instantly, helping me regain my balance.

"What the hell?!" She demanded.

"He deserved that and a whole lot more for the hell he put me through, for the hell he put our family through!"

"He put you through hell but that didn't mean you had to run away!" Elsa spat.

"What other choice did I have?! He was never going to forgive me getting Anna killed and if you really believe he would have, then you're not as smart as I thought. I want nothing to do with him Elsa. Not now, not ever."

With that, Caleb stormed out of the garden. My sister's grip on my arm had tightened so much that I was beginning to lose feeling.

"Elsa, you okay?" I questioned gently.

She nodded, her grip relaxing. "Fine. Just mad at him. He should've talked to you."

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have lied to him and I shouldn't have pushed him."

"You shouldn't have lied, but I get why you did it. I'm glad I figured out what happened because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been here and wouldn't have been able to stop him from hurting you more."

"But that put you in his line of fire."

"I can handle it. It's not the first time I've been spoken harshly at. I know not to take it personally. And Hunter, not everything is your fault. Caleb could've reacted to you wanting to speak to him in many ways, but he decided to punch you instead. Do you need blood?"

"No, I'm okay. That… could've gone better."

"He'll come around. I promise."

"I think it'd take something drastic for that to happen," I laughed humorlessly.

"This is no excuse but he's dealing with a lot lately and there's going to be a decision he has to make in the future that could have some serious repercussions."

"You can't tell me, can you?"

"No… only Spencer and I know about it. Even Lily doesn't."

"That bad?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm going to go see dad, tell him I know about Caleb. See if he has any advice on what I can do to get him to talk to me."

"I'll go with you. I want to see mom."

"She's still not responding. At least she's stabilized. The Healers think that her Guardian blood is helping keep her alive. They believe that if she hadn't been a Guardian, she would've been dead by now. It might take a while, but they think she'll pull through."

"That's the best news I've heard in ages."

Elsa and I walked to the infirmary where we found the rest of our siblings waiting outside. Caleb, in wolf form since Ember still didn't know it was him, let out a growl directed at me. Elsa growled back at him. Caleb seemed taken aback. Anna and Ember just appeared confused.

"What's going on?" I inquired.

"Dad said something to the Healers and Anna and I got kicked out of the room. Stark came over a few moments later," Ember said.

"Why do you have a bruise on your cheek?" Anna asked me. She glanced over at Elsa when I didn't answer. The two had a mental conversation to which it ended with Anna glaring crossly at Stark. He sat down indignantly.

Elsa sat down on the floor, against the wall. Anna joined her. Ember and I sat across from them. Caleb lay on the other side of the hallway. His coat suddenly changed colors. Ember's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"I thought only our family could do that!" she exclaimed.

"Spencer, Lily, and Stark can do it too. There were more successes than just our parents, but not many," Elsa explained.

"How on earth did Caleb find another pack that could do the same thing as he could?" Elsa shrugged in response. The four of us stopped talking, waiting impatiently for dad or the Healers to come out. I couldn't stop the worry gnawing at me that dad had finally told the Healers to pull the plug on the life support that was helping keep mom alive. But dad wouldn't do that. Not when there was a chance mom could pull through.

It felt like we waited for hours. One by one, our pack mates joined us when they found out what was going on. Josilyn sat next to me. Noah hesitated in trying to find a place to sit. He and Ember were still arguing over whether or not Elsa and the others should have gone after Anna. However, in the end, he sat next to his girlfriend. She rested her head on his shoulder. Two hours in, Caleb stood up and started pacing back and forth, his claws tapping on the tile floor in an almost hypnotizing way. Finally, Elsa shifted forms and nipped his tail to get his attention. He turned around to face her. The two had a silent conversation for a few moments. When it was finished, Elsa went back to being human. She sat down next to Anna. Caleb lay next to her legs, resting his head on her shin. Elsa gave me a tired smile before putting her head on Anna's shoulder and closing her eyes.

Five hours in, most of the pack was asleep. Only Loren, Shiloh, Lily, and I were awake, and even then, the four of us were struggling to stay awake. In fact, Loren and Shiloh had finally given in about ten minutes past the four hour mark. I was pretty sure Caleb was still awake despite his eyes being shut. His ears kept moving at the slightest of sounds.

"I heard you figured out who Stark was," Lily murmured.

I looked at her. "Yeah. I did. My oh-so brilliant plan to talk to him didn't exactly go brilliantly."

"I can tell. The bruise has faded but it's still there."

"Did you teach him how to fight?"

"I taught him a few things, but it was mostly Spencer. He's the black belt in the family."

"Thank you for taking him in. Thank you for watching over him."

"You're welcome."

I hesitated. "I'm sorry about Callie."

"Me too. I thought she was going to be okay once we got her back here but I was wrong."

"What are you going to do if you see her again?"

Lily mulled over the question before finally answering me. "That isn't the Callie I know. Hell, that's not even Callie. She's too far gone to ever come back. That much is obvious. She will always be a threat to my pack and yours. If I see her again, I'm going to have to kill her."

"You'll kill your own packmate?"

"She will never stop coming after me and my pack because she's mad we didn't join her side. She'll never stop going after your pack because she hates Elsa with every part of her being for grabbing Spencer's attention and keeping it."

"I'll kill her if she tries to kill my sister."

"Which is why you'll be in danger too. All of us underestimated her. Now I'm overestimating for our safety and yours."

At that moment, a Healer came out of the room, completely exhausted. I stood up, praying silently for good news. The movement caused Caleb to lift his head (so he _had_ been awake). Elsa, Anna, and Ember stirred awake. The Healer turned to me. "You and your siblings can come in."

The girls dashed into the hospital room. I had my foot in the door when I stopped, turning to face Caleb. "Are you coming?"

My brother shook his head.

"I'm not your brother anymore, but the girls are still your sisters. Mom and dad are still your parents, no matter what's happened in the past."

Slowly, Caleb stood up. Looking around at the rest of the Laroche pack, he shifted into human form. He said nothing to me as he walked past but that was progress. At least he didn't punch me again…

Upon entering mom's infirmary room, I found dad in near tears, but they weren't sad tears. They were happy tears.

"Hi sweeties," mom croaked.

"Hi mom," Caleb and I said simultaneously.

"How are you feeling?" Caleb added.

"I'm okay. Your dad gave me a lot of blood."

"You're going to be fully okay right?" Anna asked.

"The Healers said I'd make a full recovery. They said that now I'm awake and can eat and drink, it'll help the healing process go much faster."

"That's great!"

Mom looked around at us. Her eyes settled on Caleb though, a grin spreading across her face. "You have no idea how good it is to see you again."

My brother gave mom a sad smile. "I missed you mom. I was so worried I wouldn't get to see you again."

"It takes more than a multiple stabbing to kill me," she declared. "Besides, if it wasn't for you, I would've been dead."

"You saved mom's life?" I asked.

"You didn't tell me that," Elsa said.

Caleb flushed. "I didn't see the point in saying anything. All of you would've done the same thing and mom still ended up in this hospital."

"Thank you son," dad said. "Kids, your mom is tired. Why don't you alert the rest of the pack that she's awake so they can come say hi before she goes back to sleep?"

Knowing not to argue, the five of us kissed our mom on the head and left the room. Caleb shifted immediately into a wolf as the rest of us woke up our pack one by one. They scurried into mom's room all at once. Even Spencer and Lily joined in. I felt bad for mom. There was not going to be any short hellos.

Once it was only the five of us in the hall, Caleb shifted again. Ember glowered at him.

"I'll be nice to you around mom and dad for their sake but don't expect me to be happy you're back after everything you caused. You should've stayed up in Canada," Ember snarled. She turned on her heel and walked off.

"She'll… come around," Elsa promised.

"I doubt it…" Caleb grumbled. "I'll see you later."

He started to walk off but Elsa and Anna cleared their throats, raising their eyes at him expectantly. Despite being an alpha, my sisters still had him wrapped around his finger. Hell, they had me too.

"Hunter, I'm sorry for punching you. You were being civil and I attacked you for no reason."

"I deserved it," I said.

"Maybe you did, but I'm above losing my temper like that."

"Does this mean you're willing to talk to me about things?"

"No. Just because I'm sorry I punched you doesn't mean I want to talk to you any more after this conversation."

"Caleb," the twins warned.

"Hey, you two wanted me to apologize. I did. I still don't want to talk to him. I'll see you later."

Once my brother was out of earshot, I said, "He's never going to forgive me."

"Oh yes he will. He's not going to get a choice in the matter," Elsa declared.

"Before he goes back to Canada, he's going to have a long chat with you, even if that means that we have to lock him in a room with you," Anna chimed in.

"He might kill me."

"We'll tie him to a chair," Elsa suggested.

"What if he breaks free?"

"We'll use chains," Anna replied.

"I could make a really bad joke about that but I'm not going to. I'm going to head to bed. It's been a long day. I love you two." They gave me the same sentiments and walked off together. I chose to go to the dining hall where I could grab something to eat since my stomach reminded me in a very loud growl that I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I grabbed a sandwich from the pantry and sat at a table by myself in front of the unlit fireplace.

"Hey," Josilyn greeted, coming to sit next to me.

"Hey," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you. I came across Elsa and Anna and they told me you and Caleb had a fight."

"I'm fine… just hoping he'll forgive me one day."

"He will. Caleb's was just being irrational. Besides, Elsa and Anna aren't going to be all that nice to him until he talks to you."

"I just hope I didn't ruin our relationship completely."

Josie rubbed my back. "You didn't. Things will work out. I promise. He's going to realize sooner or later that you're being genuine in wanting to talk with him. Give him time. He never expected anyone but Elsa to find out about him."

I turned to her, a lazy smile on my face. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Multiple times. Especially with the ring," she giggled. "Why?"

"Because I want tell you again. Let me finish my sandwich and then I'll sweep you off your feet to our room." I kissed her before stuffing my mouth with my sandwich. It was gone in five bites. Josilyn laughed as I scooped her into my arms.

* * *

**Long chapter. I hope you enjoyed! Reviews would be lovely! :)**


	50. Chapter 50

Enjoy :)

**Chapter Quote:**  
**"You do realize you just mixed Disney metaphors, right? Disney metaphors. Wow, Calla, now I'm just sad for you."**  
**~Shay Doran**

* * *

Chapter 50

**Thea**

Riley and I were chatting with Noah in his room. The three of us were trying to figure out what had happened to Hunter's face last night. None of us had missed the shiner on his cheek. With the negative looks Elsa and Anna had been directing towards Stark, we had a feeling he was involved in it.

We'd just gotten back from seeing Arya around ten minutes ago when the door flew open. Ember stormed through, only to slam the door shut again.

"Babe, what's up?" Noah asked, seeming rather taken aback by his girlfriend's actions.

"That son of a bitch!" she shouted, physically trembling with rage. "All this time he's been here and he's let all of us believe he was still up in Canada!"

"Who?" I asked.

"Caleb!" She fired back. "My bastard of a brother has been with us the whole damn time and the only reason he chose to show himself was because he thought mom was dying. Why the hell couldn't he have told us when he arrived in Estes?"

"Caleb's here?" Noah stated, standing up.

"Caleb is Stark and Stark is Caleb. Stark is the last name of the pack that took him in. So yeah, he's here. Not that I'm happy about it. He caused so much shit when he left and now he's causing shit being back. He should've stayed in Canada."

"Em, that's your brother you're talking about," I pointed out. "Caleb must've had a good reason."

"The only reason he has is because he didn't want any of us to know."

"Does Elsa know?"

"Yeah, she's known for a while now and she kept it a secret too." Ember took a deep breath. "I want to be mad at her but I can't. She was always close to Caleb and although I think she's stupid for forgiving him for what he's done, but I get her point of view in this."

"Have you talked to him?"

"Pretty much told him to go screw himself in the process but yeah."

"Why don't I go talk to him?" I suggested.

"I don't know why you'd want to talk to a guy who obviously doesn't want to talk to any of us. Besides, he has a girlfriend now so even if you tried to hit on him-"

"Ember!" I interrupted angrily. "I don't like him. Not like that."

"You used to."

"Yeah, _used_ to. I like Riley and no one else, so I'd appreciate you not giving my boyfriend something to worry about just because you're pissed off at your brother. Don't take your anger out on us. Come on Riley, let's go."

I walked out of the room with my boyfriend on my heels.

"You okay?" he questioned, slipping his hand in mine.

"Fine. Just mad at Ember. I get she's mad but that gives her no right to say what she did."

"Do you want to go see Caleb?"

"Yes, but I just want to see that he's okay. I haven't exactly forgiven him for running away either but I also remember how badly he and Hunter fought. I want to hear his side of the story."

"Then let's go see him."

"I saw Elsa go in his room earlier. We'll wait until she's done."

* * *

**Elsa**

Anna, Spencer, Dom, and I were sparring in the training room, my sister and I against the boys. It was pretty evenly matched in skill and strength. But my sister and I were so used to fighting side by side, we were so synchronized with each other, that we kept beating the boys.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Spencer and Dom laughed as we pinned them to the floor. Anna and I got off, helping them stand up.

"Another round?" I asked.

"Oh no, I'm taking a break from getting my ass whooped because I'm hungry. Who wants to go get something to eat?" Dom replied.

"I'm in!" Spencer agreed, raising his hand.

"I'm not hungry, but I'm going to go take a shower. I'm all sweaty. I'll see you afterwards," Anna said.

"I'm going to stay here and train some more. I'll meet you all later," I told them. Spencer gave me a quick kiss before running off with Dom to the kitchen. Anna dashed off to her room. I went for the punching bag. I'd been using it for around twenty minutes when someone cleared their throat. I turned around to find Babatunde standing in the doorway.

"Hello, sir," I greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Yourself?"

"I'm doing really well. I'm not torn between packs, my mom is alive, and we're closing in on the Hunters."

"You look well. I came to talk to you about the mission to take down the Hunters. The final pieces are falling into place. Problem is, our reconnaissance tells us that they have other Guardians as hostages in the building. We want you and Anna as Strikers to help attack the Hunters, but from what we've heard from your parents, your brothers, and various other members of your pack, you and Anna are also the stealthiest. It would be a dangerous mission that you would be a part of, but I think you and your sister could do it."

"How many people are we allowed to bring?"

"Two. But I have already decided who. We're sending Jason Argent and Kit Lane with you. I know you would've liked Spencer and Dom with you but we need them on the front lines. You'll join them once you've freed the captives. That is, if you agree to take the mission."

"I do. Are my parents okay with it?"

"They said that since you are no longer with the pack at the moment, you are free to make your own decision about this."

"Then yes. I want to do it."

"Very well. I shall alert the teams."

"Do we know when we're to attack?"

"Not as of yet, but soon. Your mother needs to be healed beforehand because she's adamant that she needs to be in the fight."

"She's been in enough fights in her life. She doesn't need anymore," I grumbled.

"That's what your father told her. He said she refused to not fight."

"Unfortunately, I'd be the same way."

"I shall see you soon. Good day Elsa." Babatunde left. I tried to keep hitting the punching bag but my mind wandered elsewhere. I decided to go shower instead since it seemed like a good idea. I ended up being right. Putting on clean clothes, makeup, and drying my hair, I plopped down on my bed. Barely five seconds later someone knocked on my door.

"Come in!" I called out.

"Hey," Spencer said. "Can you come to Caleb's room for a minute?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He wants to talk to you about some things."

"I'm coming," I said, rolling off the bed. We walked to Caleb's room. He was sitting at the desk, madly typing away on his laptop.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked, sitting on his bed.

"Yeah. Lily, Spencer, can I talk to Elsa alone for a bit?" my brother requested.

"Yeah, sure." Lily gave him a strange look but agreed. Spencer followed his alpha out the door. Once the door was shut, my brother began speaking.

"I need you to call Hunter here," Caleb said.

"Excuse me?"

"I need you to call Hunter here," he repeated.

"So you can punch him again?"

"No. So we can talk."

"Why have me come here and call him though?"

"I need you as a mediator because you'll keep me from punching him again, and believe me, I do."

"Fine." I pulled out my phone and put Hunter on speaker.

"Hey Elsa, what's up?" Hunter greeted.

"Can you come to Caleb's room?"

There was a pause. "Does he want to punch me again?"

"No, I already asked him that. Believe or not he actually wants to talk."

"Need," Caleb intervened. "I need to. I don't want to."

"That sounds about right," Hunter commented. "I'll be down in about five minutes. Let me get dressed."

"Hunter, it's three in the afternoon. Have you not woken up yet or something?"

"No, I've been awake." In the background, I heard Josie mumble something but it didn't take a brainiac to figure out what was going on there. "I've heard enough. You two… finish up or whatever."

"This is awkward. I'll be there ASAP." Hunter hung up.

Caleb laughed and said, "You've been scarred for life haven't you?"

"I mean it's not that I didn't know Hunter and Josilyn were doing it but I don't want to know when they're doing it. That's just too much information."

"At least you never walked in on them."

"Have you ever-"

"No. But Spencer did. On me and Lily."

"That poor boy."

"Yep, we were-"

"I don't want to hear about it!" I exclaimed, covering my ears. Caleb simply started laughing which told me he hadn't been going to, he just wanted a reaction out of me. I hit him on the arm and said, "Asshole."

"I know. I know."

"So what exactly do you want- I mean _need_ to talk to Hunter about?"

"Stuff you're probably not going to like."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why?"

"I keep forgetting how curious you always are."

"Don't change the subject on me."

At that moment, Hunter poked his head into the room. He asked, "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No," Caleb replied. My oldest brother shut the door before coming to sit next to me on the bed. He stared expectantly at Caleb. "We need to talk about this war."

Hunter deflated a little bit. I knew he'd been hoping that they'd be talking things out. Instead, he sucked it up and said, "What about it?"

"I don't know what all Elsa's told you about my predicament-"

"Is this the thing that Lily doesn't know about?"

"Precisely."

"You still haven't told her?" I demanded.

"I don't know how to tell her!"

"What's going on?" Hunter interrupted, his eyes flitting between the two of us.

"There was a prophecy about our family, about the second born. The Hunters thought it meant Elsa because she was the second-born of the twins which is why they kidnapped Anna. They thought Anna was Elsa. But after quite a bit of research, we realized the prophecy was talking about me."

"What does the prophecy say?" he prodded.

"It says that if the second power is killed, then a lost power will be returned."

"You're not actually going to let yourself get killed, are you?" Hunter ran a hand through his hair. "Caleb, that's insane. That's- you can't do it. Not when we just got you back."

"I don't plan on getting myself killed, but if I do, I need you to do something for me."

"Look, I can convince mom and dad to let Spencer and Lily have the south compound or something because I know Lily would never have me as alpha."

"That's not what I was going to ask, but thank you. If I die, I need you to turn Dom into a Guardian, if he accepts the offer of becoming one."

"Caleb, I don't have that power. We've never had that power."

"We never have, but our parents did, and the gene is dormant. I don't know how or why it unlocks for everyone if I die, but it does. I don't plan on dying, I really don't, but in case I do-"

"Why can't Anna do it?"

"Because she's not an alpha. Being an alpha isn't just a title, it's a mentality, it's a… force. Ember and Anna don't have it. You and I do."

"Does Elsa?"

"I'm no alpha," I said.

"You could be," Caleb replied.

"How?"

"Because you can make decisions that others can't. You can handle anything Elsa. You've proven that time and time again. You have been through and lost so much, more than any of the rest of us. You felt when Anna was taken from you, you felt when she was tortured. You died for a full minute and came back to life. You were tortured mercilessly and then were nearly killed by an ex-packmate of mine who you then showed mercy to by saving her life. You went and saved Anna because you chose family over rules. You are most definitely an alpha. Maybe you're not the alpha in the pack, but there are other places you shine and in the upcoming weeks, we're going to need that part of you."

"Don't go giving me a big ego. I don't want to be too much like you and Hunter."

At that, my brothers chuckled. Hunter pulled me into a side hug and said, "No one has as big of an ego as me."

"I don't know. Caleb's pretty close, if not equal."

"Hey!" Caleb protested. I smiled at him but it quickly faded as my mind began to wander about the upcoming war. My brothers saw the change, asking what was wrong. "What's going to happen to us after the war? Has there ever been a time where we weren't at war?"

"I'm going back to Canada. Hunter's going back to Estes. And you're free to make whatever decision you want. You can go with me, you can go with him, you can make your own path and travel the world. It's totally up to you Ice Princess."

"I can't travel the world. My duty is to my pack," I argued.

"I believe the line is 'my duty is to my heart,' Mulan, and your duty is not to your pack. It's to your happiness."

"Whatever you want to do after the war, we'll support you. Mom made a point a while back that by always trying to stop you and by punishing you the way we did, that we only began isolating you from the pack. It was when we let go of you that you came back. I'm always going to see you as my little sister and I'm always going to want to stop you from doing stuff that could get you hurt, but that would mean I'd never let you leave the house and we may be very different, but I understand you wanting freedom. That's what being a Guardian is. It's freedom," Hunter told me.

"I'm not sure if I want to cry because you two are being so sweet to me or because you two are getting along."

"It's been almost ten years since we could be in a room without arguing," Hunter remarked.

"Even when I was Stark, we were constantly sending death glares and growls at each other," Caleb added.

"But at least now you two know you can be in the same room without hating each other," I said.

"Yeah, I guess we can. I'm going to head back to my room, get ready before dinner. I'll see you two later." Hunter got up from the bed and headed to the door. Just as he opened the door, he turned around and said, "Caleb, in the garden, before you punched me, and I said that I was willing to talk, that offer still stands. It will always stand."

My younger brother glanced over at me. His shoulders deflated ever so slightly as he said, "Elsa, would you mind if-"

"Nope!" I interrupted, jumping up from the bed. I threw my arms around him, whispering "Thank you!"

"I'm not saying I'm going to forgive him right now, but we can at least start down a path towards that," Caleb told me.

"That's all I ask. I love you." I hurried over to Hunter, giving him a hug as well. I told him I loved him, then scurried out the door. As I walked down the hallway to head to the garden, my mind kept thinking over and over about how after almost ten years of praying and dreaming, my wish was finally coming true.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed :)**


	51. Chapter 51

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
****"My skin came alive under his fingers, every touch an electric crackle through my veins."  
****~Calla Tor, _Wolfsbane_**

* * *

Chapter 51

After my meeting with my brothers, I went and ate dinner with Anna. Once we were stuffed, the two of us relaxed in our room. I wanted to tell my sister about what went down in the meeting but I knew Caleb didn't invite her for a reason so I said nothing about it, but it was eating at me not telling her. I tried to distract myself by watching videos on YouTube, by reading the news, and even by cleaning my room. Thankfully someone did come to distract me.

Spencer knocked on our door before entering. He came in rubbing the back of his head.

"Could you two come to Caleb's room?" He asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, of course," I said.

"Is he okay?" Anna inquired as the three of us walked over to Caleb's room.

"Um, we have a bit of situation that he doesn't know how to handle and he wanted some help with it," Spencer replied.

"What's the situation?" I asked.

"Some of the kids from your pack found out about Caleb being here."

"Who?"

Spencer opened the door. "All of them."

All the heads of my pack mates, with the exception of Ember and Hunter, turned around to look at me and Anna. She and I stared back in shock. Caleb's head poked out from behind the wall.

"Glad you could join me. Us. Uh, they kind of wanted to hear your story, Elsa, about how you found me."

"I see. Okay, well, it all began at dance, when a new guy with a dashing smile joined my dance class," I began, giving a sideways glance at my boyfriend who was smirking down at me.

I was telling my story and answering questions for about two hours. Thea and Riley kept making sarcastic comments in the beginning about Spencer being an idiot for not listening to them to stay away from my pack because they said 'look at all the trouble it's caused you since' to which Spencer replied, "Worth it."

"Are you coming back to stay now?" Thea queried.

"No. Once this war is over, Spencer, Lily, and I are heading back to Canada," Caleb responded. The entire pack raised their voices in protest.

"What about LaBarnes?!" Gracie demanded.

"LaBarnes?" my brother repeated, cocking his head in confusion.

"Elsa Laroche plus Spencer Barnes equals LaBarnes. What's going to happen to them?"

"We're going to figure that out when the time comes," I said. "We have a war to focus on right now."

"You're not in the pack. You don't have to make decisions based off of us."

"That's just it. I've been given the option to join the pack after the war, when my loyalties won't be split anymore."

"You're coming back!" Laurel exclaimed gleefully.

"I am."

"But you have the choice to go be with the guy love. What's keeping you with us?" Diana questioned.

"Family."

"Caleb's your family. Lily is like your family and let's be honest here, with the way her and Caleb's relationship is going, she's going to really be family. Then there's Spencer, the guy you've been in love with for ages and just now started dating," Thea pointed out.

"The family I've grown up with and the family I need to stay with is here. Besides, I've already talked to Josilyn. She wants me to be her beta when I come back to the pack, and as a beta, I have to make the best decision for the pack."

"You could say no," Gracie remarked.

"I could, but my morals won't let me. Caleb, Lily, Spencer… they've survived without me all these years."

"Why can't Spencer move here with us?" Riley chimed in.

"As much as I'd love that, I can't. I can't leave Lily and Caleb," Spencer answered.

"You two need to get your shit together," my pack mate muttered.

"What if all three of you moved down back to Estes?" Sebastian suggested.

"The Southern Compound is all built up again," Noah said, shocking everyone by actually saying something.

"That's supposed to be Hunter's pack's, meaning you guys," Caleb said.

"Your dad said if you ever wanted to come back, the pack would welcome you with open arms," Diana said.

"Isn't that the same day he called it treason to continue looking for him?" Noah asked.

"Not helping," Thea growled. He grinned at her.

"Guys, I'm glad you want me back. Honestly, you have no idea how worried I was about how you would react if you found out I was back, but I'm not staying. I have a new life up in Canada, and it's a really good one. But now that you all know me again and if you want me to come down and visit, I will. I won't hide from you guys a second time."

"We want you to. And you know what, if Ember doesn't, then she's outvoted anyway," Thea declared.

"Thanks for the support," Caleb laughed. "Although I'd prefer having my sister support me coming back."

"I'm working on her," Noah said. "But you know her, she's stubborn."

"Aren't all Laroches?" Riley remarked.

"Shut up," Caleb, Anna, and I said simultaneously.

"Hey guys, Ember said there's a meeting being held in five minutes in the meeting hall. We should get going," Noah informed, staring down at his phone. Reluctantly we all got up. Caleb threw his arms over mine and Anna's shoulders, whispering thank you for coming to his aid. Upon arriving at the dining hall, I expected my brother to shift into his massive wolf form, but to everyone's surprise, he didn't.

"What? There's no point now that over half the pack knows who I am. Loren didn't recognize me when he saw me so the other adults probably won't either," he said. We entered the dining hall to find all the adults already gathered. Ember and Hunter were talking to mom and dad. I was surprised to see mom up and standing as she'd been trying to rest to heal faster. Besides looking rather pale, she looked good considering what she went through. Her eyes immediately rested on Caleb, a smile breaking out on her face. All the adults watched as my parents walked up to Caleb and hugged him. Half of them appeared to be trying to figure out who Caleb was, the other half appeared to have figured it out with their mouths half open.

"Welcome back son," dad said.

"Thanks dad," Caleb said. Ember simply stared at him with her arms crossed. Hunter shook Caleb's hand.

"So what are we all here for?" Lily inquired, causing everyone to take their place at the table.

It was Babatunde who spoke up. "We have gathered enough intel on the Hunters to send out an official team to strike them down. This will be a mass attack that will involve both Searchers and Guardians alike. I've talked to each of you about the roles you are to be in, but so everyone knows, I shall announce it officially. Strikers will be on the front lines and will be our first line of defense. They are the following: Arya, Ren, Shiloh, Loren, Reyna, Erin, Sam, Dean, Rigg, Caleb, Hunter, Lilly, Spencer, Dom, Dmitri, Ember, and Noah. The defenders are behind the Strikers and will take care of anyone that slips past the Strikers. They are: Carrie, Nancy, Derek, Thea, Riley, Diana, Gracie, and Jake. The Sweepers will be in charge of protecting our Weavers. They are: Casey, Taki, Frank, Akira, Sebastian, Barry, Laurel, and Oliver. We'll have two Healers, Melinda and Josilyn, who will be in charge of helping injured warriors coming back from the battle. If we win this, the Hunters will be as good as done. This is their major hub. We take down this, we wipe out over eighty percent of their numbers."

"What about Elsa and Anna?" Spencer asked.

"They have a special mission. They're the Stealth Team. They're job is to sneak into the building and release the hostages. They're taking two people as back up," Babatunde explained.

"I volunteer to join them," Dom said.

"Count me in as well. We have plenty of Strikers on the team from the Guardian side," Spencer pointed out. "And we know that the four of us work well together."

"Spencer, Babatunde has already decided who's going with me and Anna," I said gently.

"Who?" he demanded.

"Jason Argent, the weapons trainer, and Kit Lane, Ethan and Sabine's son."

"Why them?"

"There is a high probability they will encounter security doors that they will need to break through and force won't do it. Kit is the best tech expert we have and Jason will make sure nothing happens to any of them. He's one of our most seasoned veterans," Babatunde answered.

"They can blow the doors off. She knows how to work a grenade launcher."

"Since when do you know how to work a grenade launcher?" Caleb asked.

"Do we want to know how you know how to use a grenade launcher?" Hunter added.

"Since I rescued Anna. I kind of pulled a weapon out and fired it at the Hunters. I didn't know what it did and it turned out to be a grenade launcher," I said with a shrug.

"You're okay working with people you've never worked with before?" Spencer questioned.

"I know Kit very well. He's practically family. Jason has been training me pretty much since I came to the Academy. I trust both of them to protect me and Anna if the two of us cannot protect ourselves. I know you and I-"

"I made a promise to Caleb that I'd look out for you. I can't do that if I'm not with you."

"You made that promise when I didn't know who your alpha was and when I was still sneaking out by myself. I don't need your protection anymore."

"Okay, why don't you two have this argument later? This isn't exactly a place for a quarrel's couple," Dom said calmly.

"You're brave to intervene between these two," Thea commented.

"He's brave to be dating a Laroche girl," Riley added.

"You two are brave because you keep rambling your pie holes," Anna said, raising her eyebrows at them.

"We leave in three days. Adults, you have your own methods of preparing for battles. You've been through enough to know. Kids, I can't tell you how to prepare for a battle, how to calm your nerves. You'll have to figure that out on your own. But if there are any grudges you hold, any arguments you may be having, I would suggest you get those resolved, that you move past them. You would not want one of your family to die and have the last words you said to them be harsh," Babatunde admonished.

The head of the Academy dismissed us. I went after Spencer but he managed to be the first one to slip out of the room. I lost him in the swarm of people. I shifted forms and followed his scent to his room. I guess I should've figured that's where he went but in a place this size…

I knocked on his door, but it seemed like ages before he actually opened it.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Cleaning my room" he answered.

"We need to talk."

"Those are never good words to hear in a relationship," he mumbled, moving aside to let me in.

"I want to continue that discussion."

"You're right."

"Right about what?" I responded in confusion.

"About you not needing my protection. You're right."

I blinked at him. "Arguments typically don't end that easily."

"I don't want us to be fighting right before a battle. I know what it feels like to lose someone and have your last words to them be hurtful."

Instead of saying something, I walked up to hug him. My boyfriend welcomed me with open arms.

"I'm not going anywhere," I whispered. He only hugged me tighter.

"I'll feel better about you going on the mission if you promise to take a grenade launcher with you," he said.

I laughed, pulling away. "It's my favorite weapon."

Spencer brushed a piece of hair out of my face. "What are you going to do after the war?"

"I'm going back to Estes. For my pack. For Anna. For Josilyn. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going back to Canada with Caleb and Lily. I can't leave them. I'm the only pack member they have," he replied. We smiled sadly at each other. "But I'm going to come down as often as I can to see you because I don't want to lose you. Not yet."

"It'll take more than distance to do that. Well, I'll let you get back to cleaning. I'll see you later?"

My boyfriend nodded. He leaned down and kissed me. I knew it was only supposed to be a brief goodbye kiss but for some reason, I wanted it to be more than that. Spencer pulled away and escorted me to the door, opening it for me. I'd barely taken a step outside when I whirled back around saying, "Do you remember the night we rescued Anna, and I shoved you inside your room to talk to you, and you said last time that a girl did that to you, it led to heavy make-out session?"

"Yeah, why?" he responded.

I heard my heart pounding in my chest as I said, "And I told you later?"

A cocky smirk appeared on his face. Spencer shifted positions in such a way that I knew he knew exactly where I was going with this. His answer was, "Vividly."

I shoved him into his room, shutting the door and locking it for privacy. I strode over to him as I said, "It's later."

* * *

**Finally the battle is almost upon us! Reviews would be lovely :)**


	52. Chapter 52

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**I believe the answer that will not get me in trouble with you is: the happiest day of my life."  
****~Ren Laroche, **_**Nightshade**_

* * *

Chapter 52

**Spencer**

I woke up around eleven-thirty with Elsa curled up in my arm, her head resting on my chest. I kissed her on her forehead which didn't even make her stir. She'd always been a heavy sleeper but I guess after all we did last night, she was going to be more exhausted than usual. I was pretty sure neither of us meant for it to go as far as it had but knowing what we were going to be encountering in the next couple of days, I think the both of us knew we might never get the chance to be with the other again. After the end of the week, one of us may not be alive anymore.

As wolves, when we mated, we mated for life. When one of the mates died, it was rare that the other would ever remarry. As wolves, we knew when we'd met our soulmates. Deep down, we just _knew_. It was why Lily had been so attracted to Caleb when they first met, or how Hunter and Josilyn knew they were meant to be together. How Ren and Arya were near inseparable and with all the problems that they'd encountered, they'd still survived it together and had still stayed together.

Elsa was meant to be my mate; she was my soulmate. It was why we kept coming back to each other after even after I'd lied to her, after her family had tried so hard to prevent her from seeing me again, after my ex-girlfriend tried to kill her… She had no idea but I'd been thinking about proposing to her. But now that we were about to fight in a war, I figured I should make sure we both survived. If we got engaged now, and one of us died, the heartbreak would be that much worse.

"What's wrong?" Elsa murmured, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Nothing, just thinking."

"Something's wrong with you, I can feel it."

"Just thinking about last night," I whispered, rubbing her shoulder gently.

She smiled. "I enjoyed it. What time is it?"

"Almost noon."

Elsa groaned. "We have a pack meeting at two and I need to shower because as much as I love you, if I smell like you right now, some people I know might go a little-"

"Berserk? Yeah, I know. I need to shower as well for the same reason."

"I'll see you in the dining hall?"

"Yeah, and if I get there before you I'll make us some lunch."

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," I replied, giving her a kiss. Afterwards she got dressed and disappeared to her room. I went to shower, trying to scrub off her scent because if her dad or her brothers smelled it, despite them being relatively okay with me dating her, they wouldn't appreciate knowing our activities last night… they might actually have my head.

After convincing myself that Elsa's scent was off my skin, I stepped out of the shower and got dressed. After fixing my hair up a bit instead of having it plastered to my forehead, I left my room to go to the kitchen where unsurprisingly, I'd beaten Elsa. I was halfway through making some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when Hunter walked in.

"Hey," I said casually. The future Laroche alpha and I were on better terms now but that didn't mean I trusted him to know about what Elsa and I had done last night.

"Hey, what's up?" he replied, going to the fridge.

"Just making lunch for me and Elsa when she gets here. You?"

"Grabbing something to drink." Hunter walked past me, chugging a can of Diet Coke when he suddenly stopped, sniffing the air. "You reek of my sister."

"She slept in my bed last night."

"You two did more than just sleep. Listen, I don't mind, but you might want to avoid being near Caleb or my parents."

I squinted my eyes at him in suspicion. "Why are you being so calm about this?"

"Because even though Elsa and I haven't been on the same page a lot recently and even though we've practically been fighting constantly the past year, I still know Elsa. She doesn't do anything for just anybody. She wouldn't kiss someone for the hell of it like most of us would. She wouldn't _do it_ with just anyone. They had to be special and don't let me scare you when I say this, but someone she saw as her future. That's why I'm being calm about this. Yes it freaks me out to know my little sister has done it but it was going to happen sooner or later, and you know what, I'm glad it was you. I've tried to kill you on multiple occasions, and it'll still take a while for us to be fully on the same page, but you're in love my sister, I can see that. Everyone can. And you treat her well. Just continue to do that, and you and I will have no further problems."

"This is going to sound like a weird question but… when do you know when you've mated with someone? And I'm not talking about marriage here. You know what I'm talking about, when Guardians and their mate reach a certain point in their relationship where you can suddenly feel each other's emotions."

"Do you think you and Elsa mated last night?"

"She's always been in tune to people's feelings but this morning when I woke up, I was thinking about a lot of things that were stressing me out and she woke up from a dead sleep asking me what was wrong. Am I imagining things?"

"Talk to her about it. See if she's feeling anything different. You two were extremely close before you two did it, so it's very possible it might've happened last night."

"I just don't want to freak her out. We're not even engaged or married or anything like that."

"Have you thought about it?"

I nodded. "Yes, but Elsa likes to take things slow when it comes to relationships and I want to make sure she's ready when I ask. She also has this nasty habit of finding rings. She found yours and found the one Caleb is going to use to propose to Lily."

"Caleb's proposing to Lily?"

"At some point. He hasn't told me or Elsa when. He hasn't told anybody."

"I'll talk to him about it if he'll let me near him. I swear the last time we talked was a dream because for once we talking like civil human beings. But back to you and Elsa, you want to propose to her?"

"Wolves mate for life. We know when we've met our mate. I know she's mine."

"What about Callie?"

"What about her?"

"You loved her too didn't you? I mean seven years of dating is not a small amount of time."

"I loved her but looking back on it, I never envisioned myself marrying her or being with her in the far future. And with all the fights we had near the end of our relationship, it was clear to me that no matter what, we weren't going to work out. With Elsa it's different. I hadn't even known her a year and I was madly in love with her and thinking about what we could be in the future together."

"Why don't you propose to her now?"

"Like I said, I want to take it slowly with her. Besides, we're about to fight in a war. If one of us doesn't make it back, I'm worried the heartbreak would be much, much worse than if I didn't propose now. That's actually one of the things I was thinking about this morning…"

"I understand where you're coming from but think of it this way: god forbid it was Elsa not to make it out of this war, you would live with the regret of not having proposed to her."

"I've thought about that too, but I know she'll make it out of this. Elsa is a survivor, her and Anna both. If anyone is making it out of this upcoming battle, it's those two. They've been surviving for most of their lives now."

"When this war is over, I want them to stop surviving and to start living. They're not even twenty and they've seen and been through more than most people do their entire lives."

"You know, you're actually really nice to talk to when you don't hate me," I remarked.

"I'm a surprisingly nice person when I like you. It took me a long time, which I apologize for, but I believe it or not, I actually like you now."

"Good, because you're going to see a lot of me when I come down to Estes to visit Elsa."

"Aren't you living with us?" Hunter asked, scrunching up his brow.

"No, I'm heading back to Canada with Caleb and Lily."

"Why?"

"Because I can't leave them. They're my pack. Elsa could come with us and we've given her multiple offers already, but she's loyal to you guys. It's the curse of betas. We do what's best for our alphas, not for us."

"You can take Caleb's room then, since he won't be using it again. Or Elsa's room if you'd like."

"Thank you."

"Hey you two," Elsa greeted, shuffling into the room. Despite having showered, put on makeup, dried her hair, and sprayed on perfume, there were two things that could not escape my notice: one, how tired she still looked, and two, my scent was still all over her."

"Speak of the devil," Hunter said. "Trying to get Spencer's scent off of you didn't go well I presume?"

"Damn it, I just spent thirty minutes in the shower trying to scrub it off!" Elsa groaned. With a sigh, she added, "Guess the wolf's going to be out of the bag now when we go into the pack meeting."

"Just stick close to each other and no one will suspect a thing. Except for maybe mom, dad, and Caleb. And Anna and Lily."

"Why are you being so cool with this?" Elsa asked dubiously.

"Glad I'm not the only one finding this weird," I muttered.

Hunter said, "Because you love him, he loves you, you make him happy, and I know you. I know you wouldn't give it up for just any guy. He's special."

"All right, well thank you. Now before this can get any weirder and more embarrassing, I'm going to go in the garden and eat my lunch with Anna and Dom and Josilyn, if the two of you want to join."

"I'm in," I said.

"Why not?" Hunter chimed in. The three of us headed into the garden where we proceeded to have a pleasant lunch where the girls mainly held the conversation with Hunter and Dom chipping in quite a bit. I mostly listened in as I was very content with not speaking. It was rare for me to see Elsa speaking so casually with her pack mates. It was usually some short discussion that turned into an argument or with some sort of tension. I'm pretty sure this was the first non-argumentative, no-tension conversation I'd ever been a part of with the Laroches. Suddenly they all seemed much more human and not so… god like. Everyone in the Guardian world- whether you be wolf, bear, or cougar- knew about the Laroches, about their strength, about their power, about what they'd been through. Everyone knew of them yet none of them _knew _them, or had actually seen them. Admittedly they'd all seemed like gods to me when I first met them because I was meeting _the_ Laroches, the ones that Michael and Elaine had told me and Lily and Callie bedtime stories about. The more I got to know them, I thought most of them were assholes that were all on their high horses, but then I realized that they'd been through so much that they really just didn't want to risk anything that would make them lose more than they'd already had.

"Hey, we should head to the pack meeting," Hunter said. "It's almost two."

The six of us got up, cleaned our mess, and then headed indoors. Upon arriving at the dining hall, we found the room filled with our pack mates. Elsa, Dom, Anna, and I found a space where we could all stand next to each other. My girlfriend, standing in front of me, leaned back against my chest. It took me by surprise initially because she wasn't one for showing much affection in public, but I wasn't going to pass up this moment. I loosely wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin on top of her head.

Babatunde came up to the head of the table and began his speech. "After much deliberation and debating, we've come up with a date and time of our attack on the Hunters. They're location is in the middle of a Russian plain because it makes it difficult for anyone to attack them by surprise, but our strategy is one that involves us attacking at dawn, when they're shifting watches and have a blind spot in their security. Each team will have specific tasks but you will all be briefed together so everyone is on the same page. Does anyone have any questions?"

"When's the date and time we're attacking?" Elsa and Anna inquired simultaneously.

"In two days."

* * *

**Reviews would be lovely :)**


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